Oh Brother!
by Nisa Tunesque
Summary: Musa & Tegryn, Part 3: Musa's doing a really good deed, helping her new boyfriend rediscover his roots... it's too bad the Trix are also rediscovering theirs.
1. Kisses in the Treetops

A typical late-spring evening was beginning to set in. The sun sank ever-so-slowly into the horizon, leaving behind a spectacular red sky in its wake streaked with fluffy little clouds. The creatures of the forest outside Alfea were busy minding their own business as they prepared themselves for a good night's sleep, and likewise, creatures of the nocturnal type were just waking themselves up, ready for another night of foraging in the darkness. All was quiet and serene... except for some playful giggles coming from high up in the forest canopy. 

A couple sat silhouetted against the russet backdrop of the sunset, perched on a thick branch near the top of one of the highest trees, enjoying an ultra-romantic picnic as they made the most of their spring break.

"Hey! No fair! Oh come on - you're gonna make me spill my drink!"

"Aww, who'd thought my big bad Teggy would be so ticklish?"

"Oh yeah? Well Musie-baby, let's just see how ticklish YOU are!"

"ARGH! NO! NOT THE FEET!"

Ignoring her pleas, Tegryn reached out and grabbed Musa's dainty foot, and slowly, almost tortuously, began to run his fingers up and down the sole. She tried desperately to withstand this tickling onslaught, but to no avail - with no warning she burst out laughing so hard she thought she would explode.

"Okay, mercy, mercy... you win!"

Laughing, they joyfully collapsed in each others arms and held each other tight, Tegryn nuzzling her head with his cheek. She moved her gaze upwards to meet his eyes - she never tired of looking into those deep blue eyes of his... just the mere glimpse of them was enough to set her soul on fire. She couldn't resist the urge and so she kissed him softly, pressing her lips against his, running one hand through his hair whilst resting the other tenderly on his chest. After that long and pleasurable interlude, they sat happily together against the tree's mighty trunk, entwined in each others arms. Just above their heads, they had carved out the words 'MUSA + TEGRYN 4 EVER' inside a big heart - a lasting testament to their love.

"You know," Musa said, breaking the peaceful silence, "It's a shame our dates are almost over."

"Over?" he chuckled. "Who said we had to stop at fourteen dates? I don't want this to end - I haven't been this happy in ages."

"Me neither." She paused for a moment. "I suppose the only other time I've been this happy is when I'm with my family... how about you?"

Tegryn didn't reply at first, but just stared out at the glorious view that lay before them. "Hmmm... this is such a beautiful place. I mean, just look at the way the sunset is reflected off that lake."

"Yeah" she said as she leant back, snuggling up against him as she grasped his hands and pulled his arms tight around her. "Of course, you do realise that's where we first met, don't you?"

"Is it?" he replied, casting his mind back to his first encounter with the witches. "Was it really THAT lake?"

"Uh huh. In fact, that fallen tree is probably still there."

Tegryn winced as he remembered the way Darcy and Stormy nearly crushed every bone in his body as they smashed him through that tree, and then smiled as he remembered the beautiful stranger in the red dress who came to his aid. Even now, that heavenly vision still seemed like a dream.

They watched as the sun slowly disappeared from view, and then began to gather their things to head back home.

"Hey Teggy, how do you want to go home tonight? Walking, or do you fancy flying again?"

"Flying - I definitely need the practice. We've got a test coming up after the break, and I'm not looking forward to it."

"Oh, you'll be fine - here, just take my hand."

And so they took off into the approaching night, Tegryn a little shakily - he'd never taken off from such a great height before. Despite a few mid-air wobbles, they soon arrived back at Alfea, after which they said their goodbyes in the only way lovers can.

* * *

Musa arrived back at the lounge where the Winx and Starz girls were merrily chatting away, as teenage girls like to do.

"Hey Musa!" called Bloom happily, "How did the date go?"

"Oh, it was so awesome! Everything about it went so well! The food, the weather, the view, the, ummm, well, you know, the OTHER stuff!" she giggled.

"And?"

She shook her head.

"He still won't say anything about it. I want to make him happy so bad, I want to reunite him with his family, but every time I mention the word 'family' he just clams up and changes the subject."

"That's a shame. If only he could give us some clue about where his home was, I'm sure we could find it."

"That's right," said Tecna. "Faragonda said we're free to use the collection of earth maps in the library - if only we knew where to start."

"Yeah... but unfortunately all we know is that it's somewhere in central China... and China's a big place!"

"I guess we just have to keep trying." said Anyuna. "We'll see if we can get anything from him tomorrow."

"Tread carefully though," Flora warned. "This is obviously a painful subject for him. We don't want to hurt him."

"Erm, Musa?" Charlotte piped up. "I've just thought of something. You probably won't like me mentioning this, but..." She leant over and whispered something in Musa's ear.

Musa closed her eyes and breathed deeply. This was going to be difficult, so very difficult - after all, she could rarely bring herself to do this for her closest friends, but deep down she knew Charlotte was right - she couldn't expect Tegryn to do something that she wasn't prepared to do.

"Okay," she said, her voice quivering. "I'll try it tomorrow."


	2. May As Well Go Shopping

_'... open up to her... keep nothing hidden...'_

Tegryn sat up in bed with a rather bemused look on his face. "What an odd dream," he said sleepily to himself as he poured out a glass of water. "Pleasant, but odd." He looked over at his alarm clock and tutted, "3:30am? I'll never get back to sleep..."

As he lay back in his bed, his mind was deep in thought. "Keep nothing hidden? Am I hiding anything? I wonder what she meant..."

* * *

Later that morning, Tegryn met up with Musa for breakfast as per normal. She greeted him with her usual love and affection then looked at Polli, who was clinging timidly onto Tegryn's arm as she always did. 

"Hi Polli" she said patting her on the head. Polli beamed. Musa then turned to her main man.

"I hope you have something nice to wear" she said teasingly.

"Something nice? Why - what have you got planned?"

"I've got VERY special planned for our date tonight."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Ah-ah! That'd be telling. You'll have to find out for yourself later! Just wear something really smart, okay?"

"Okay." He thought for a while, then chuckled. "I suppose now would be a good time to take Discorda on that shopping trip I promised her. I'm sure she'll pick out something cool."

"Ooh great, I'll come too!" said Stella excitedly. "Clothes shopping is what I do best."

Tegryn laughed. "It looks like I'm gonna be ultra-smart for you" he said to Musa with a big smile on his face. "After all, I'll have the realm's two biggest fashion authorities helping me out!"

Layla poked her head out of her bedroom door. "Would you mind if I tagged along too? I need to get some new stuff for Piff - she's growing so fast."

"Of course you can come!" he replied. "Tell you what, I'll just head up to Cloud Tower and see if Dizzy's free, then I'll meet you guys back here, okay"?

* * *

Moments later, Tegryn arrived in Cloud Tower. He was really starting to get the hang of teleportation magic now, it made him proud that he wasn't getting lost as often as he used to. He looked around nervously at the flickering torches on the wall, making sure he stayed in the centre of the room, well away from them. 

"Discorda? Discorda? Are you there?"

"Behind you!" she said grinning as she poked him in the back. "It's so good to see you back to your old self. What brings you here?"

Tegryn smiled. "I have two words for you... clothes shopping!"

Discorda's eyes lit up. "Clothes shopping?"

"Yep. Remember that promise I made when I first met you, to allow you to jazz up my wardrobe a bit? Well, I have a big date with Musa tonight, and I think now would be a good time to keep that promise. That's assuming you're free, of course."

"That's very considerate of you... I'll be glad to."

Tegryn looked around again as he waited for his little friend to get ready. He could swear those flames were getting closer, and that thought was making him more and more uneasy.

"So, how are you and Polli getting along?"

"Really... well. Thank you for... gulp... thank you for fixing us up and, erm, everything..."

"Is everything all right?"

"Hmm? Oh, um yes, fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Are those torches moving?"

"Excuse me?"

"The ones on the wall. Are they moving?"

"Of course not... what a daft thing to say. Is there a problem with them?"

"Yes, they're freaking me out something rotten."

Discorda looked puzzled - they were just ordinary torches. "Freaking you out? That's rather disappointing - I think they give this place a nice warm ambience. Anyway... shall we go?"


	3. The Mysterious Heartmelter

"Oh come on, you can't be serious!" 

"Why not? I think that looks kinda cool - you'll be a real trendsetter!" Stella said.

"Yes, and besides, you said _**I**_ be the one to brighten your wardrobe up a bit." Discorda added. "Now come out of that changing room and show us what you've got!"

Stella and Discorda were enjoying every minute of their day out at Aquisates, especially as it meant dressing Tegryn up in all sorts of outlandish outfits - well, outlandish to Tegryn's eyes anyway. To Stella and Discorda, their choices were the height in male chic, the cutting edge of Majix fashion.

"Come on then... we're waiting!" Discorda nagged impatiently, tapping her foot.

"Very well... I'm coming out." Tegryn emerged from his cubicle decked out in a light blue silk haori (a loose fitting Japanese-style shirt) with a large dragon motif on the back, complete with matching trousers.

"Ooh go on, give us a twirl!"

Discorda clapped her hands together in approval. "Now THAT'S more like it. You look very stylish."

"That's odd, cos I feel like a complete..." Tegryn stopped abruptly as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. "Actually, this does look rather good on me, doesn't it? In fact, I can't decide whether to wear this or the dinner suit for our date."

"I don't think it really matters 'cos I'll tell you now - Musa won't be able to keep her eyes off you tonight... or her hands!"

The clothes shop was filled with their happy laughter - however, Layla was nowhere to be seen. She had gone off earlier into a another shop to get the things she wanted for Piff, plus a few treats for the others (being as kind-hearted and generous as she is). Laden with her shopping, she raced down the street to meet up with the others, but as she ran around a corner she hit something solid, knocking her backwards onto the floor. She looked up to see a rather muscular young man looking down kindly at her.

"Ooh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Don't worry," said the stranger. "It was an accident, right?" He offered his hand to Layla and helped her up. "Here, allow me to get your bag."

"Thank you," she said as she took it, but as she did so she happened to glance at his eyes. They were... mesmerising, instantly captivating her soul. They were dark and intense, matching his hair. They were somewhat sinister, yet at the same time warm, kind and passionate. She gazed into them for what seemed like ages, becoming more and more lost in them before coming to her senses.

"I, erm, I'm sorry about this." she stammered, blushing as she did so. "I have to go and meet my friends. Thank you!" she called as she hurriedly walked away.

The stranger smiled to himself and reached into his long overcoat.

"Wait a minute!" he called.

Layla stopped and turned around to see the man throwing something at her. Instinctively, she reached out and whatever it was fell neatly into her hand with a soft rustle. She looked at the object - it was a bunch of the most beautiful white roses she had ever seen. She drew them towards her and took a deep breath. She gasped - the aroma was absolutely divine, like nothing she had ever smelled before. It was sweet, heady, almost hypnotic, making her more and more giddy with every lungful.

"Til next time babe!" said the stranger as he started to walk off.

Layla just stood there, allowing herself to become more and more entranced by the bouquet's fragrance, when suddenly she realised. Seeing the man disappear around the corner, she quickly followed him, calling out "Next time? Wait! Please wait, I don't even know your name."

It was no use... as she rounded the corner, the stranger had vanished. Layla stood still, staring down the street in the hope she would catch another glimpse of this man, clutching the flowers tight to her chest as a soft breeze blew around her. She looked down at the flowers and sighed happily - she didn't know his name, this mystery man who came and went like the wind, but she didn't care because deep down she knew that somehow, they would meet again... 'Til next time babe'.

"Hey Layla!"

She was shaken from her thoughts by her friends calling out to her.

"Whoa!" said Stella. "I love those flowers!"

"Yes, they ARE nice," Tegryn added. "They're not for Piff, are they?"

"No... someone gave them to me!"

"Really? Who was he - anyone we know?"

"Yes, come on" said Stella, nudging Layla with her elbow. "Tell us - who was it?"

Layla giggled nervously. "I... I don't know."


	4. Dinner Date

Tegryn stood before the door to the Winx girls' lounge and awkwardly adjusted his bow tie. He felt ridiculous - how on earth did he let Stella and Discorda persuade him into wearing a bow tie, of all things? He had always thought bow ties were one of the most horrible items of clothing ever invented, and yet here he was wearing one... and in public too. At least the rest of his dinner suit was comfortable. Checking the large bouquet he was carrying in his left arm and clearing his throat, he knocked on the door - Stella answered. 

"Good evening young lady - may I request the company of the beautiful Miss Musa?"

"Why certainly," Stella replied, giggling. "If you would care to withdraw to the sitting room, Miss Musa will be with you presently."

Tegryn chuckled. "How did I sound?"

"Spoken like a true prince... such a gentleman!"

He sat down on the couch next to Layla, who was playing with Piff.

"Aww, doesn't she look cute?" he said, admiring Piff's new outfit. "Are you sure you don't mind babysitting Polli for me?"

"Of course not... after all, she gets so on well with Piff."

He looked over at the flowers given to Layla by her mystery man. "Those are really beautiful," he commented. "They kinda put mine in the shade a bit. Normally I'd be insanely jealous but seeing as they're yours, I'll let it slide! I just hope this guy's for real, whoever he is!"

Layla sighed dreamily. "Me too. Oh, you should've seen him Teggy, he was... oh, simply amazing. His eyes were so gorgeous. And those flowers - I've never smelled anything so wonderful."

Tegryn went over to them and took a deep sniff. "Hmmm... that's weird." he said.

"What is?"

"These flowers... I can't smell a thing."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, taking another big sniff just to make sure his nostrils weren't deceiving him. "Nope, not a thing. Maybe I'm coming down with a cold."

At that moment Musa emerged from her room. Tegryn gasped, his jaw nearly dropping to the floor as he gazed upon the vision of beauty standing before him in an exquisitely elegant evening dress.

"Wow Musa, you look stunning!" Layla said admiringly.

"Yes... absolutely amazing!" Tegryn added, still gobsmacked.

"Thanks babe, you're looking rather amazing too... but there's something missing!"

"Oh yes?"

"Yep!" Musa reached into her dress and pulled out a blindfold.

"A blindfold?"

"Yes... and the sooner you put this on, the sooner we can go!"

Laughing, Tegryn obediently did as he was told, allowing Musa to take him softly by the hand and lead him to the venue for their next date.

"Don't wait up guys!" she called.

* * *

The anticipation was growing and growing with each step Tegryn took up a particularly long and winding staircase. It seemed like they had been walking for ages - and here he was thinking Alfea was huge enough already. 

"Are we nearly there yet?" he asked.

"Almost!" said Musa excitedly. "This is gonna blow your mind!"

Eventually they reached the top of the staircase. A mild spring evening breeze wafted its way across Tegryn's cheeks, announcing that they were now somewhere outside. Musa carefully guided him a few steps forward and sat him down in a chair.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" he asked, grinning like a little schoolkid eager to get his hands on a big birthday present.

"No, not yet..."

The soft romantic strains of a violin solo slowly drifted its way into the space, and Tegryn became aware of something warm in front of him - whatever it was, it smelt good.

He could feel her hands gently lifting the blindfold away from his head.

"Okay, you can open them... now!"

He opened his eyes, and gasped at what lay before him - a sumptuous, mouth-watering five-star meal. He looked around - they were sat at the top of Alfea's clocktower.

"Wow!" he said in amazement. "I never realised you were such a keen cook."

Musa giggled. "Well, I did have a bit of help from the school chef! And now... the final touch."

She leant forward and lit a candle in front of him. He gave a start.

"There! How romantic is that?"

Tegryn said nothing, but just stared, gripping the table, breathing heavier than usual, transfixed at the tiny flame flickering before him.

"Teggy? Teggy? Is there something wrong?"

He gulped and shook his head. "I'm sorry Musie, it's just that, well, ever since that fight in Cloud Tower, fire makes me, well, kinda jumpy."

Musa cast her mind back and suddenly it dawned on her... she remembered his screams as he was trapped in that fiery dome, drugged by the combined effects of the intense heat, the Dream Dust spell and the vapours from the purification potion... man, it's no wonder he's afraid of fire.

"Oh my... I'm so sorry! Here, let me put it out."

"No, it's okay" he said, taking her hand. "I'll deal with it. I mean, it's just a tiny little candle, right? What harm can it do? I certainly won't let it spoil tonight, not after everything you've done here. You must've been planning this for ages."

"Yeah," she replied, "It took a lot of effort"...

_'and its gonna take even more...'_ she thought. _'I really hope tonight is gonna go just the way I want it.'_


	5. The Mother of All Surprises

Tegryn leant back in his chair with a hugely satisfied look on his face and patted his stomach. "Wow!" he said. "That meal was beautiful... almost as beautiful as you!"

Musa blushed. "Thank you" she said quietly.

"Shall we?" said Tegryn as he stood up and held out his hand.

"Shall we what?"

"Dance, of course!"

It was the perfect thing to do as far as Tegryn was concerned - he had just had the tastiest meal with the girl he loved, with some ultra-romantic music playing in the background setting the mood just right. A long, slow waltz would be the ideal end, assuming they didn't knock the table over in the process - clock towers aren't exactly renowned for their abundance of dancing space.

Taking his hand in her own, Musa got up and stood up close to Tegryn, looking demurely into his eyes as she rested her free hand on his shoulder. Smiling softly, he gently placed his hand around her slender waist and slowly began to lead. They glided smoothly across the small floor, stepping perfectly in harmony as a couple so deeply in love should, spinning around and around as though their movements were an extension of the music itself, building up to an almost magical crescendo.

As the dance finished and the music gave way to something more serene, Tegryn and Musa embraced lovingly at the centre of the clock tower. Musa held him tight and snuggled her head into his chest - he could feel her trembling.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You're not cold, are you?"

Saying nothing, she softly ran her hands up and down his back as though she was desperately trying to draw some sort of strength or comfort from him. Eventually, she pulled away and spoke.

"I want to share something with you... something very special to me."

She walked over to a small box that she had placed nearby and picked it up. She brought it over to Tegryn and opened it.

"Please, take it."

He reached into the box and carefully took out what appeared to be an ornament of some kind, in the shape of an elaborate flower. Cuddling up to Tegryn, Musa touched the flower with her hand. A moving holographic image of a pretty young woman suddenly appeared - she was almost identical to Musa except for her long, jet black hair, and the full-length dress billowing around her. Tegryn stared deep into the woman's eyes - they seemed so familiar, and not just because she was the spitting image of his sweetheart. He had definitely seen her somewhere before... but where?

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Musa said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Yes..." he murmured, trying hard to remember... and then it hit him. "Yes!" he said, snapping his fingers. "I've seen her before."

"That's not me, silly." Musa giggled.

"I know she's not you... she told me so."

"Excuse me?"

"She told me so. She said she's not you."

"But.. that's impossible, she's..."

"No, seriously... I saw her in a dream last night."

She gasped. "You're kidding, right?"

"No. Let's see now... I was standing in a green field, near a wood. I remember the sky... such a vivid shade of blue, tinged with lilac, dotted with lines of small, round clouds - they were so... weird... if I didn't know any better, I'd say they looked almost like musical notes. I could hear birds singing, and their song was one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard. And then I heard someone singing gently behind me... her voice was so wonderful and soothing, like a lullaby. I looked around, and she appeared in front of me, emerging from a light mist. She came towards me and hugged me, but it wasn't a loving, romantic hug like the ones you give me - it was more like a warm, affectionate hug. Naturally I thought it was you so I went to kiss her, but she stepped away and laughed. "iI'm not Musa/i", she said, "iBut I am close. You make her so happy, and she wants to make you happy too... please, open up to her... keep nothing hidden/i"... and then she vanished and I woke up. That was it."

He could feel Musa was shaking, so he looked down at her - she was staring back at him in disbelief, her face soaked with tears.

"Do you... do you know who that was?" she asked between sobs.

He shook his head.

"That was my mother!" she cried. Tegryn held her comfortingly as she sobbed into his chest. "I can't believe this... this is so... wow. You dreamt of my mom!"

They walked over to the edge of the balcony and looked out over Alfea and its surrounding forests. Tegryn put his arm around Musa, and placed the holo-image in front of them. As he looked at the image of Musa's mother, he became aware that he was also trembling slightly - the significance of this event was starting to hit home.

"I don't understand this... how was I able to see your mum in my dream when I'd never even seen her before... and why?"

Musa couldn't speak at first. She had barely managed to pluck up the courage to speak about her mother to Tegryn, but nothing could have prepared her for this. She reached out, trying to caress the image standing before them.

"She came to you..." she said quietly. "I don't know how, but she came to you. This is major, so major."

"She said... I had to open up to you, but... but how? Am I hiding something from you? Is there something you want from me?"

Musa took a deep breath and pulled herself together. "Well... there is one thing. When you came back you mentioned your family, and ever since then I've really wanted you to tell me more about them."

"Oh... I see."

"I know it's difficult. I know it hurts you - but please?" 


	6. Painful Memories

Tegryn leant forward, staring out at their stunning surroundings, bowing his head. 

"Okay then," he sighed. "Well, um, I have a little sister called Mei, I guess she's about fifteen, sixteen years old now. Oh, she was a little darling, really she was - sweet, affectionate, caring, funny... you'd like her. We were totally inseparable, we did everything together - school, play, even fight... most of those moves you saw me do in Cloud Tower, I learnt them from her. We lived in a little village called An-Chuan, standing next to a river at the foot of Panda Mountain in China."

"What mountain?"

"Panda... you've seen a panda, right? It's an earth creature... cute little things, they are. Anyway, we lived with Mei's grandmother."

"Mei's grandmother? But... what about your parents?"

"Well, Mei's parents were killed some time ago. I don't know how or when, I never asked. Besides, our gran did an excellent job of looking after us on her own. She's quite a fighter too, not as quick as she used to be though."

"Wait, I'm getting confused. Mei's parents aren't your parents?"

"My family aren't my birth family - I have no idea who or where my birth parents are cos I lost them when I was very young - judging by my name, I guess they're British. Even when I was a toddler, I still managed to get lost easily, and that's how I lost them - when I was around two or three, I was playing outside and I wandered off somewhere, and when I tried to get home... well, I couldn't. I walked for days, weeks, trying to get home but I couldn't. Eventually, I ended up somewhere where I couldn't understand what people were saying... France, I think it was. I was adopted by another family, but I soon lost them too. And that kept going on and on and on for years - I just kept losing old families and finding new ones, and I never got close to any of them... except one, my last family."

"Wow, that sucks. So how did you manage to find your family then?"

"It all started around seven or eight years ago. I'd given up on family life, so I spent my time wandering, seeing the world. I was on my travels, trying to get somewhere where I wasn't as usual. I think I was trying to get to India, but somehow I ended in the mountains of central China instead, which I guess is pretty close by my standards. So there I was, walking along beside a river when I heard people screaming and yelling. I followed the noise and I could see a gang of men, bandits I think they were, attacking a young girl. She can't have been older than seven, maybe eight, but the funny thing was she doing a real good job of kicking their butts. I tell ya, some of her moves were amazing - lightning quick. But she was outnumbered and while she was busy flooring two of these guys, she didn't see another one creeping up behind her with a knife. I knew I had to stop him so I grabbed my frying pan from my backpack, ran up to him yelling as loud as I could and smacked him one across the head. Those cowards soon ran away."

Musa laughed. "You hit him with a frying pan? Man, that's so funny!"

"Yeah, Mei thought it was funny too! As I was packing my things away, she came up to me and said 'I am very thanks to you kind mister.'... her English wasn't so good back then, but it's improved a lot now. Anyway, she took me back to her village and introduced me to her gran, and they somehow persuaded me to stay. I guess I was thankful to be staying in one place... mind you, I did get lost the very next day. I was checking the village out... it's only a small village, but it took me a whole day to find my way back. Since then, Mei never let me out of her sight... until one day five years later. We were going down to the stream to get some water and we somehow got separated. I didn't know this until I realised that I'd been walking for half a day to a river that should've been a couple of minutes walk. I tried so hard to find my way back, but I couldn't. When I reached the Gobi Desert, it hit me that I'd lost them. I cried for days, I did."

A tear came to his eye as he recounted his sad story.

"I tried so hard to get back to An-Chuan, I asked thousands of people for directions but no-one had heard of it. And the more I tried to find it, the more I got lost."

"But... surely we could find it now, couldn't we?"

"No chance... An-Chuan's so small and remote, it won't be on any maps." He closed his eyes and clenched his fists as he spoke, trying hard not to let the tide of sadness overwhelm him. "I really miss Mei, but... I've lost them... I've lost my only real family, and there's no way I'll ever see them again."

"That's not quite true" said Musa as she placed the holo-image gently into his hands. "My family are your family now."

Tegryn sighed. "I wish I could do the same thing for you."

_'Don't worry' _Musa thought. _'You will soon, I promise...'_


	7. The Search For AnChuan

Breakfast time the next morning, and Layla emerged sleepily from her room, the last of the girls to do so. She smiled as she joined the others. 

"Hi Musa... you got in late last night!" she said with a cheeky grin on her face. "I take it the date went well!"

Musa didn't answer Layla's greeting, or even acknowledge she was there - her mind was totally fixed on yesterday evening's events.

"Err, Musa?" she said placing her hand on her friend's shoulder. "You're spilling your OJ!"

Musa suddenly rejoined the land of the living with a start. "Oh man..." she said, shaking her hand as the juice dribbled onto the floor.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"So, how did it go last night?"

"Oh Layla, it went really well. We totally opened up to each other but... wow, it was so heavy."

"Oh... so what did you find out?"

"Okay, he has a little sister called Mei who he loves a lot, he lived in a village called Anchan or something like that, near a Panda Mountain... I wrote it all down... ummm, oh yes, Tecna has it!"

Tecna handed Layla a piece of paper, which she studied briefly. "Hmmm... it's not much, but we should be able to get something from this. We just need to get him out of the way whilst we search the library. Have you got any idea what you guys are doing today?"

"No, I haven't really thought about it."

They were interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

"Ooh, I wonder if that's Teggy!" said Musa excitedly.

"It's okay, I'll get it - you'd better clean up that mess!" teased Layla as she answered it. There was nobody there - just a bouquet of flowers laying on the floor. She picked it up and read the note.

_Layla_

_Meet me at the Theme Park_

_K_

"K?" she wondered - then it hit her... this must be from her mystery man. She sniffed the flowers - they had the same heady, intoxicating scent. Yep, it was him alright.

"Well? What was it?" asked Musa.

Now it was Layla's turn to get totally lost - once again, she was entranced by the scent of her present. She could see nothing but her guy's face smiling at her, she heard nothing but his voice calling out to her...

"Hello? Alfea to Layla, can you hear us?"

Layla giggled. "Sorry, I was..."

"Ooh, flowers! Lemme see!" squealed Musa. "'Meet me at the Theme Park'? Wow, sounds like you have a date!"

"You really think so?" she said, blushing. "But... I can't go alone. I wouldn't know what to do."

Musa clicked her fingers.

"This is perfect! We'll need to keep Teggy away from here while you all do your thing in the library... and anyway, I think we'll all enjoy a fun day out. We'll make this a double date!"

A few hours later, and with Tegryn safely out of the way, the girls arrived in the library.

"Right then," said Tecna. "We need a map of China - the bigger, the better!"

"I'll get it!" said Bloom as she made her way to the library index. Standing on the pedestal, she asked nervously "Map of China?"

'Map of China' came the reply, and sure enough an absurdly large scroll landed neatly in front of her.

"Thank you!" she said beaming, before clapping her hands over her mouth. She knew what was coming next.

'Thank you.'

THWACK!

She winced as something hard hit her on the back of the head with a soft thud. Rubbing the back of her head, she picked it up and looked at the cover... 'Good Manners & Etiquette for Young Fairies' by Madame DuFour. Grinning, she showed the book to the others.

Stella laughed. "Who'd have thought she could be such a pain?"

Bloom opened the map as she walked over to the table. "Uh-oh," she said suddenly. "Guys, I think we have a major problem here."

"What is it?"

She placed it on the table for everyone to see.

"This map... it's written in Chinese!"

"Oh man... this is hopeless." Mimi said as she strained her eyes trying to decipher the characters laid out in front of her. "It was gonna difficult enough to find his village as it was, but now THIS?"

"It's not that hopeless." Charlotte piped up. "I can read a tiny bit of Chinese... I think. I read a book about it a couple of weeks ago."

"Hmm," said Tecna thoughtfully. "What did Tegryn say that mountain was called again?"

"The mountain? Erm, Panda Mountain, I think it was... why?"

"Well, he said his village was too small to be marked on any maps, but that mountain will be on there for sure. If I run those words through a translator on the Realm Wide Web, we should be able to get something to help us... ah, here we are."

TRANSLATION:  
Panda Mountain...

**熊貓山**

Tecna printed out the result. "Right, everybody take a copy... the sooner we get started, the sooner we finish."


	8. A Rollercoaster Romance

They couldn't have wished for a more beautiful late spring day to enjoy their trip, and Layla, Musa and Tegryn revelled in the happy atmosphere of Majix City's new theme park, as indeed did the rest of its visitors. The three friends stood patiently in line with their pixie friends for the Ruby Dragon, a spectacular-looking roller-coaster complete with countless loops and turns.

"Wow! This ride looks totally awesome... but I'm surprised you guys haven't gone on THAT yet." said Layla, pointing to the Tunnel of Love.

"Ah-ah," said Musa, wagging her finger. "Not until your 'K' shows up."

"Oh, I really hope he does," said Layla rather distantly (no prizes for guessing what's on her mind here).

"Oh, I'm sure he will... he wouldn't have gone to all that trouble to send those flowers if he was gonna stand you up, isn't that right Teggy?... Teggy?" Musa looked at Tegryn, who was busy tucking into a toffee apple. "Teggy! That's your third one today! And why are you eating that now? You'll be sick!"

"Oh, I'm sorry..." he said between munches, "Did you want a bite?"

"Oh, I'll bite you in a minute! Come here!"

Layla, Tune and Polli laughed hard at this little play-fight that was ensuing, but Piff's attentions were elsewhere. She had noticed a bright blue balloon gently floating past them and, being the sort who's naturally into bright floaty things, she went after it.

Layla gasped as she realised her little pal was missing. "Piff! PIFF!" she shouted as she frantically looked around - eventually, she caught a glimpse of Piff through the crowd as the little pixie disappeared around a corner, still in hot pursuit of her balloon.

"I gotta go get Piff!"

"But you're gonna lose your place in the queue!"

Layla desperately raced after her, but as she ran around the corner she hit something solid, ending up on the floor.

A kind voice chuckled "We really must stop meeting like this!"

She looked up to see a familiar face smiling down at her - it was the same guy she bumped into yesterday, cradling Piff and her new toy in his arms. Layla broke into a huge grin as she recognised him, then quickly tried to regain her composure.

"I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to run into you again."

"Never mind, I'm just glad I managed to find you. I didn't realise this place would get so busy. Here, let me help you." he said, offering his free hand.

Tentatively, Layla took his hand and allowed him to pull her up. She quickly dusted herself down, then looked up at him - she didn't realise until now that they were barely six inches apart. As she gazed into those hypnotic eyes of his, she felt her heart skip a beat. She could feel herself getting totally lost again, the excited chatter and screams from the crowd turning into nothing more than a barely audible buzz.

"I was thinking..." he started. "Maybe next time, we should meet up somewhere less crowded... somewhere where its just you and me."

"Uh huh," Layla murmured dreamily. "I'd... like that."

"Me too..." he said with a wry smile, "But not as much as I'd like this." Slowly, he released her hand and gently caressed her head as he leant forward, edging ever closer to her. Her expectant lips started to tremble in anticipation, as did the rest of her body - she knew what was coming. Closing her eyes, she drew herself closer and closer until... that magic moment had finally arrived, the moment she had yearned for since their first meeting just one day before. As her lips met his, she could feel her heart beating a thousand times a minute. Her head was spinning, her soul was aflame, she was completely oblivious to the world around her - the only thing that mattered was right of in front her, touching her, kissing her softly yet passionately.

After a few mesmerising seconds which seemed like minutes, he drew away, leaving her standing, her eyes still closed, her mind still in a state of ecstasy. Gradually, she woke from her waking dream and opened her eyes... he was gone. She touched her lips, which were still tingling... where was he? Did she just imagine that, or did it happen for real? And then as she looked around, she groaned in exasperation.

"Damn... I still don't know his name." 


	9. Anyuna Shines, Layla Glows

Back in the library, the other girls were still slaving over the map, trying hard to read its near-unreadable writing. 

"Phew!" Charlotte exclaimed as she removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "I don't know about you guys, but I could do with a break."

"Yeah," Flora replied. "We've been looking for over two hours, and we're getting nowhere. I don't know about you guys, but I need a break. Come on, let's go grab something to eat."

They all started to troop away from the map - all except one...

"Anyuna? Aren't you coming?"

"Hmm?" she said as she looked up, brushing her long black hair behind her ear as she did so. "No, it's okay. You go, I'll stay and carry on... it must be here somewhere."

"Come on," said Charlotte. "You have to take a break - it's not healthy to work so hard."

"No... I want to find Teggy's village. It must be here somewhere."

"Anyuna, please... we all want to find it just as much as you, but..."

"Look, I'm fine... I'll stay here, and you go get me a shake, okay?"

Charlotte hesitated. "Okay, I guess. Just take it easy."

The others left the library, but no sooner as they set foot out of the door, Anyuna suddenly became a lot more animated.

"Wait a minute!" gasped Anyuna. "I think... yes, that's it! Hey guys! GUYS! I THINK I FOUND IT!"

Everyone ran back into the library towards Anyuna, who stood there excitedly pointing to a spot on the map.

"Right there! It's right there!"

Charlotte inspected the point on the map, and compared it with Tecna's translation.

"Yes, I think that's it! That's Panda Mountain... and look, there's a river! That must be where Tegryn's home is! Anyuna, you did it!"

"Hey, way to go Yuni!" said Mimi as she congratulated her pal.

"Yeah, Teggy's gonna love you for this!" added Nini.

Anyuna blushed slightly. "You really think so?"

* * *

Over in Majix, a beaming Musa and a rather ill-looking Tegryn came away from the Ruby Dragon roller-coaster. 

"Wow! That was amazing! We have to go again."

"Yeah, sure... ulp!"

"Heh. I told you not to eat that third toffee apple, didn't I?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in. Hey, where's Layla?"

"I dunno" said Musa as she scoped the crowds for their friend.

"Hey guys, over here!" They looked over to see Layla jogging over to them, sporting a grin that seemed almost as big as Majix itself.

"And what are you so happy about?" teased Tegryn, noticing Layla's rather flustered but contented appearance. "Don't tell me... you met up with your guy, didn't you?"

"Uh huh" she nodded.

"And?" Musa asked.

"We, um, I mean he, no, we kinda... ahem... kissed." she replied coyly.

"No way!" Musa gasped. "What was it like? Was he good?"

"Oh Musa, it was amazing - I never thought my first kiss would be so magical."

"So where is he?"

"I don't know." she moaned "He took off right after our kiss. I really wanted you guys to meet him too."

"Ah well, maybe next time."

They were interrupted by a beeping noise - it was Musa's mobile phone announcing that a text message had arrived. She took it out of her pocket and read it.

**GOT IT!**

**BLOOM**

Musa smiled as she realised what this meant - at long last, she could reunite her boyfriend with his family. She could make him even happier than he was already, and that thought alone made her grin uncontrollably. She showed the text to Layla.

"What's it say?" asked Tegryn.

"Ah-ah... for girls' eyes only!" said Layla, pushing him away.

"Oh well, never mind... say, I'm getting hungry - do you girls fancy a burger?"


	10. Kaiser's Plan

Meanwhile, somewhere in Darkar's castle, a somewhat annoyed trio of witches were busy wracking their brains, trying to figure out a suitable act of revenge to take on the Winx, and on Tegryn in particular.

Stormy growled as she paced up and down. "He's gonna pay for ditching us like that!"

"Damn right, he is," said Darcy in a slightly more relaxed manner as she laid out on bed, kicking her foot in the air. "I totally hate him for what he did to us."

"HATE him!" Stormy sneered. "Come on, the whole realm knows you have the hots for him!"

"I do NOT! What should I? Humiliating us like that in front of those pixies - mark my words, he'll pay for that!" she fumed. "I wish you'd stay still though, you're beginning to annoy me."

"I can't help it, I'm bored - anyway, why ARE we just sitting around doing nothing? Why can't we just go over there and dish out some vengeance, Trix style?"

"And how do you propose to do that?" Icy cut in. "Just steam in and take the whole lot of them on?"

"Why not? Are you saying we're not strong enough to beat them?"

"No, I'm saying that would be no fun at all. After the stunt Tegryn pulled on us, he deserves something especially nasty. All we have to do is think is something suitably wicked."

Just then, a fourth voice announced itself. "You lot? Strong? Wicked? Oh please... I've seen newborn kittens that are stronger and more wicked than you!"

"What did you say? How dare you speak to us like that! Who's there?"

"Heh... don't say you've forgotten me already."

"Stop fooling around," Icy retorted angrily. "Show yourself!"

"Very well..."

Without warning, a large explosion rocked the building, and the room was quickly filled with dust and flying debris. An evil laugh rose up from the smoking, gaping hole where the main wall used to be.

Darcy yelled angrily "I don't care who you are or what your problem is, show yourself so we can see who we're about to pulverise."

The dust began to settle, and a striking figure started to emerge.

"Oh Darcy, Darcy, Darcy..." the owner of the voice tutted sarcastically as he stepped forward. "Is that really any way to greet your big brother?"

A shocked expression leapt onto the three witches' faces.

"Kaiser!"

"The one and only." he replied arrogantly, flicking his jet black hair.

"Oh great!" Stormy groaned. "That's all we need."

"What are you doing here?" asked Darcy. "What happened to that realm you conquered?"

"I got bored of it" he said rather sniffily. "So I destroyed it a bit."

"Bored, eh?" Icy snorted. "More like there weren't enough single fairy girls for you to flirt with."

"Well I can't help it if they all got so shy around me that they had to move away." Kaiser laughed.

"RAN away, more like!"

"Whatever. And speaking of girls, I couldn't help hearing you three keep getting your butts kicked by a bunch of schoolgirls! I just had to see if the rumours were true!"

An embarrassed silence fell upon the group.

"Hmmm... judging by the dirty looks you three are giving me right now, I'd say they're very true indeed!"

"Is that all you came here for, to rub our noses in it?"

"No, not at all. It just happens that I've been keeping tabs on your fairy friends for a while, because one of them has something I want."

"Oh yeah, and what would that be? Or shouldn't I ask?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"And how exactly will you get it?" asked Darcy sarcastically. "Ask her nicely?"

"Well now you're being even stupider than usual." Kaiser chuckled. "It just so happens I've, ahem, bumped into one of her friends a couple of times already, and I've started to work my magic on her. She certainly seems to be rather attracted to me... but then again, with my stunning good looks and charming personality, who wouldn't be?"

"I knew it!" said Darcy "You've only just got here and you're already flirting with the pixies... that's just gross."

"It's not as bad as it sounds - luckily for me, this Layla girl just happens to be rather cute. A few more pleasurable 'chance' meetings, and I'll soon have what I want..." 


	11. Mei We Come In?

BANG BANG BANG BANG!

Tegryn opened his eyes groggily and squinted as his alarm clock.

"7:30? On a Saturday morning? They must be joking..."

BANG BANG BANG!

"Teggy, wake up, quick!"

He soon perked up when he recognised the voice behind the bangs.

"Hang on Musie!" he yelled as he scrambled into his dressing gown. After making sure he was decent, he opened the door - sure enough there stood Musa, with the other girls and the lads from Red Fountain all assembled behind her.

"Come on, aren't you dressed yet?" Musa said jokingly.

"But... it's half-seven. There's no school today, right?"

"We've got a big day ahead, and you're holding us up. Come on, hurry up and get dressed. Oh, and wear that new stuff Discorda and Stella picked out for you - I wanna see just how handsome you look!"

Tegryn grinned. "Do I have time for a shower too?"

"I suppose so... just don't take too long."

"What about you guys?"

"We'll wait out here... or do you want us to watch?"

"What! NO!"

"Hey, just chill, I was only joking! Just hurry up!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" he said, still wondering what could be so important to warrant disturbing his beauty sleep (beauty sleep? Or do guys have handsome sleep instead?). After taking a hurried shower and dressing up in his new clothes, he opened the door.

"Oh, about time too! What took you so long?"

"Aww, come on - I went as quick as I could. What's the rush anyway?"

Musa beamed. "We're all going on a little trip."

"Oh yeah? Where to?"

"You'll see... you just have to let us in first!"

Smiling, he waved everyone through his door.

"So?"

Tecna stepped forward. "Okay, I have the coordinates programmed in... one trans-realm portal coming up!" she said as she opened it. "Teggy, after you!"

"No no, ladies first."

"Aww, you're such a gentleman!"

One by one, they stepped through the portal. As they emerged on the other side, they looked around them. They found themselves on a well-beaten path in the middle of a thick forest, which rang with the sound of countless birds. Tall cypress trees and fragrant magnolias surrounded them, and a stream could be heard running nearby. In the distance stood a number of misty mountain peaks, covered in thick vegetation.

"This is so beautiful!" said Flora, who obviously felt at home in such a lush landscape.

"So where are we then?" asked Tegryn.

"We were kinda hoping you'd tell us!" said Mimi, laughing.

"Yeah, don't you recognise it?" Nini added.

Tegryn looked around him and thought hard. This place did seem familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it - after all, he'd visited so many places before, it was difficult to keep track. Then, as he gazed upon the distant mountains, and on the largest peak looming above them, he slowly began to recognise his surroundings. A look of amazement edged its way onto his face.

"It can't be... but, it is... it's Panda Mountain! It's my home! But... but how? How did you find it?"

"Well, it sure took some finding," Bloom replied, "But we got there eventually."

"WE? You mean you were all in this together?"

"Uh-huh." she nodded.

"I guess I owe you all a big hug then!" he said, looking at Musa with a happy glint in his eye. "Except for the boys of course - I hope you'll just settle for a good manly handshake instead!"

"Well if you're gonna hug everyone," Musa said, "You'd better start with Anyuna - she's the one who actually found this place on the map."

"Anyuna?" He looked over at his friend, threw his arms open and embraced her happily. "I can't believe this is happening... thank you so much!"

Anyuna nervously hugged him back and blushed... then blushed even more as Tegryn gave her a little thank-you kiss on the cheek.

"So Teggy," said Musa. "Do you remember the way to your village?"

"Hmmm... let me get my bearings a minute." he said as he scratched his head, looking at the landscape around him. "If I'm right, my village should be a mile or so that way."

"Are you sure?" she said teasingly. "We don't want to be getting lost now!"

"Only one way to find out!"

And so they started walking in that direction, quickly reaching a narrow, fast-flowing river.

"Ah yes, I remember now," he said excitedly as the anticipation started to catch up with him. "An-Chuan should be a half-mile or so up that way."

He began to make his way quickly with Musa and the rest in tow, but as they made their way up the path, something caught his eye - it was some sort of shrine, adorned with flowers and various messages.

"Ooh, that's pretty," said Flora. "I've got no idea what all that says though. Teggy, can you read that?"

"Yeah, but I may be a bit rusty. Let's see..." Tegryn slowly began to mutter the words under his breath, but soon let out a gasp and held his hand over his mouth as their meaning became clear.

"Oh no... this is terrible!" 


	12. A Happy Reunion

"What is it?" asked Musa. 

"It's a memorial."

"Oh... is it someone you know?"

"Yeah... me!" he said, shaking. "My family, my friends... they all think I'm dead!"

"Well come on then," said Stella impatiently, trying to pull him away. "Let's go and tell everyone the good news."

"Can you guys give me a minute? Just go on ahead, and I'll catch you up."

"Sure... we'll give you a shout if we find something."

As they continued on the path, Stella said to Brandon, "I can't wait to see his home. I hope it's near."

"Hmmm... maybe she'll know," he replied, pointing to a pretty teenage girl with long black hair making her way from the river carrying a pail of water. "Excuse me, miss," he shouted as he ran towards her.

"Ooh, visitors! Welcome!" said the girl cheerfully with a beaming smile on her face. "Are you here to compete?"

"Compete?"

"Yes. We're holding our annual martial arts tournament this weekend. Are you here for that?"

"No. Sounds cool though - maybe we'll check it out later. Anyway, we're looking for An-Chuan. Is it near here?"

"An-Chuan? Yes, that's my home. Please, follow me!"

"Okay guys, let's go." said Stella. "Oh wait - we're missing someone! MUSA! TEGRYN! COME ON, WE FOUND IT!"

The girl let out a little gasp as she heard this and stared at Stella, looking slightly shocked.

"Tegryn?"

"Yeah, he's our friend. He's around here somewhere - if he hasn't got lost again. TEGRYN, HURRY UP!" Stella yelled.

"But... that was my brother's name."

"No way!" Stella exclaimed. "Wow, that's an amazing coincidence!"

"Wait a minute!" said Charlotte, pointing at the girl. "You must be Mei!"

"Well yes, that's right - my name IS Mei" said the girl "But... how did you know?"

But before anyone could answer, Musa and Tegryn walked around the corner. Mei looked over to them, staring in disbelief at the tall young man walking her way. Her pail clattered to the floor.

"Brother?" Mei whispered under her breath, scarcely able to believe her eyes.

Tegryn stopped and stared at her in wonderment. A huge smile broke out across his face as he recognised his dear sibling. "Mei?"

"Brother!" she shouted happily as she sprinted towards him.

"Mei!" he shouted back, holding his arms open. Mei didn't need asking twice - she ran straight to him, and they hugged each other, jumping up and down in joy as they did so. Mei laughed uncontrollably as she cuddled Tegryn as hard as she could, but then, in the raw emotion of the moment she suddenly burst into tears. All this unexpected happiness was simply too much for her - after all, she'd only gone down to the river to collect some water, and instead she'd found her darling long-lost brother who she had given up for dead years ago.

"Let me get a look at you," Tegryn said eventually whilst gazing at Mei's face. "Wow... you haven't changed a bit."

"You have." she replied, wiping her tear-soaked face with a grin. "You're even uglier than before!"

"Yup... that's my sister all right!" Tegryn chuckled as the group exploded into laughter.

Mei gazed up at her brother. "This is amazing. We all thought you were swept away in the river, but... you got lost, didn't you?"

"Yeah, just a bit. Luckily, this little cutie found me." he said, putting his arm around Musa. "Mei, this is my girlfriend Musa."

Mei gasped in admiration. "Oh, my big brother has a girlfriend... and a pretty one too! Welcome, my sister!"

Musa giggled as she gave Mei a warm greeting hug. "This is so cool - ever since Teggy told me about you, I've so wanted to meet you!"

"Teggy?" Mei asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, you know - Tegryn."

Mei laughed as she looked at Tegryn. "Teggy... yes, I like that!"

As soon as Tegryn finished introducing Mei to his friends, she grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the village.

"Come on! All our friends are going to be so happy to see you! You remember, Zi, Lin, Fan, Pui Yin, Shen, Zhou..."

Tegryn stopped abruptly.

"Pui Yin?" he said with a look of horror on his face. "Oh no... I'd forgotten all about her!"

"Why?" asked Musa. "What's wrong with this Pui Yin girl?"

"Nothing really, but... oh man, I don't know how I'm going to face her."

"Why not? Didn't you two get along?"

Tegryn shook his head.

"It's worse than that... she was my girlfriend!"

"Your girlfriend!?" said Musa, feeling just a tiny bit jealous that her Teggy could love anyone but her. "Well, surely that doesn't matter any more, right?"

"That's right" added Bloom. "After all, it's been years since you saw her, right?"

"True... but we were still dating when I... you know, got lost. We never actually broke up."

"Ah. Now THAT could be awkward."

"Yes, unless... Mei, does Pui Yin has a boyfriend right now?"

Mei shook her head.

"Well, has she dated anyone since I left?"

She shook her head again.

"Please, at least tell me she's moved on." Tegryn asked with a tiny hint of desperation in his voice.

She shook her head once more. "No, she said she would never love anyone else while there was a chance you were still alive."

"But, that memorial back there - you all thought I was dead."

"She didn't. She never accepted it. She never gave up hope that one day you would return to marry her."

"MARRY HER?" Tegryn buried his head in his hands. "Oh man... this is getting heavier by the second."

"Don't worry... I'm sure she'll understand," Musa said, trying to soothe him. "Just make sure you never let go of me while you're here!"

Tegryn chuckled. "As if I needed reminding!"

"I have an idea." said Charlotte. "Why don't you just make sure you avoid her - after all, we'll only be here for a day or two. Surely it won't be that hard."

"It's a bit nasty and I'll have hell to pay if she does spot me, but it's worth a try, I guess." he said. "Ah well, let's hurry up and get to An-Chuan. I can't wait to see how Grandmother is!"

"And I can't wait to see this martial arts tournament." said Riven. "I might even enter, just to show you lot just how good I really am!"

Mei laughed. "You'd have to beat the champion first, and that's easier said than done!"


	13. It's Just Like Magic

Happily, the group carried on up the path until finally they reached An-Chuan, a quaint little village nestled in the forest, with traditional chinese-style rustic buildings dotted around an open space in the middle. Within this central space stood a large wooden structure, consisting of a thick pole hung horizontally between two Chinese-style arches by large chains.

"Whoa! What's that?" asked Bloom in amazement.

"Oh, that's for the tournament." Mei explained. "The two fighters stand on the pole and try to knock each other off - the one who falls first loses. They can use weapons if they want, but nothing sharp. It all starts this afternoon - you'll get to see the champion in action!"

Riven rubbed his hand together at this prospect. "Can't wait!" he exclaimed, before being interrupted by something tugging at his leg. He looked down to see a large pair of eyes looking back at him, belonging to a cute little girl who couldn't have been no more than five years old.

"Hewwo mister!" the cute little girl said sweetly, fiddling with one of her pigtails.

"Umm, hello."

"I Sien Ko. What you name?"

"Riven."

"Ooh, that name is nice! I like your hair - can I touch it?"

Riven looked at Charlotte, who was doing her best not to laugh. "Aww, go on, let her!" she said.

Riven got down onto one knee and bowed his head forward. Sien Ko cautiously reached forward with her tiny little hand and gently patted his hair, giggling as she did so before jumping forward and hugging him.

Tegryn nudged Charlotte and said, "It looks like you have a rival now!" The group laughed as she blushed an intense shade of red.

"Come on Sien Ko, you can let go now!" Riven said, trying desperately to release himself from his new friend, but she was having none of it - she clung on as tightly as she could. "Ah well," he said eventually as he picked her up. "I guess I could carry you home." Sien Ko happily clapped her hands and grinned from ear to ear.

The group approached a small cottage, decked with brightly coloured flowers and local decorations.

"Okay, we're home." Mei said as they stepped through the front door. "Grandmother!" she called.

"Yes?" a voice replied from the kitchen.

"We have very special guests. Come and see!"

"Guests? We weren't expecting any guests, were we?"

Tegryn's eyes brightened as an old woman walked into the room, helped by her trusty walking stick. She smiled pleasantly as she looked upon Mei's companions.

"I'm very pleased to meet you all..." but before she could finish her greeting, her gaze fell upon a certain young man.

"Tegryn?" she said, her eyes widening.

"Grandmother!" he said. "Come here, you!"

She walked towards him and placed her hands on his cheeks. "I don't believe it! It really is you!"

"Yep" he replied as he hugged her warmly.

"It's so good to see you, my boy. I'd almost given up hope that we'd ever see you again... you got lost, didn't you?"

Tegryn blushed. She looked over at Musa and smiled. "I can see you're very close with my grandson... yes, very dear to him in fact. I am Jun."

"I'm Musa. It's a pleasure to meet you at last." Musa replied politely.

Jun studied Musa hard, placing her wizened old hands on her shoulders.

"You're no ordinary girl though, are you?" she said eventually. "In fact, if I didn't no any better, I'd say none of you girls are. Such energy... I haven't felt anything like this for a very long time. It's almost like... magic?"

Musa gulped. "Magic?"

"Yes... magic, definitely. You all have magic in you - I'm even getting the feeling that there's some magic in my Tegryn now... you're not witches, are you?"

"Witches? No, we're not witches." said Musa nervously.

Mei looked confused at all this. Witches? Magic? Her brother and his friends... they do magic? She had never even believed in magic before. She shook her head - this day was churning out shock after shock after shock.

"Um... I'm a witch." said Mirta, cautiously putting her hand up.

Jun walked over to Mirta and looked at her affectionately. "Ah yes, you're a witch... but you're not evil. That's a relief."

"If you don't mind me asking, how do you know about witches and magic and all that kind of stuff?"

"Oh, we used to have witches here, many years ago when I was just a little girl. There were so many stories about them, most if not all of them complete nonsense. They used to say there was one who lived not far from here, halfway up Panda Mountain, and if she caught you, she would turn you into a cat, or a dog, or something like that. As with all the other stories, that was complete nonsense. I knew that witch - she was good, just like you... but there were plenty of evil ones too. She once told me of a trio of witches known as The Coven who had hearts as cold as ice, and could freeze men with a wave of a hand."

"The Coven? Freezing people? Sounds familiar?" Stella whispered to Bloom.

"Yes, too familiar." Bloom replied. "So where is this witch now?" she asked.

"I don't know. She vanished soon after she told me of The Coven. Since then, there have been no witches around here until I met your friend. But what about you other girls - you're not witches?"

"No, we're fairies."

"Fairies? Hmmm... never heard of them. Anyway, we'd best be going - we don't want to miss the tournament, do we Mei?"

"Ooh no, definately not!"

Jun took Mirta's hand as they walked to the village square. "I'd like you to sit next to me, my dear. I like you - you remind me of my old friend." 


	14. Enter The Champion

The atmosphere in the village square was buzzing - the tournament was in full swing, and the crowds of spectators were gathered around trying to get the best view. Our heroes sat at a large banqueting table raised on a small terrace, giving them a good view of the whole event. The Red Fountain boys excitedly took in all the action, the girls chatted happily with Mei and her friends (who were just as happy to see Tegryn as his sister was), whilst Jun talked with Mirta.

"Mirta, I have something that was given to me by the witch on the mountain shortly before she left - I've kept it all this time, and I'd like you to have it."

Jun pulled out a short wooden pole, decorated with intertwining gold-coloured lines.

"She called this a Spirit Rod." she said as she handed it over. "I've never been to use it - I'm no witch. Maybe you'll have better luck trying to figure it out."

"Thank you" said Mirta, smiling sweetly. As she held the rod she could feel a faint buzz - it was almost as though it was coming to life in her hands. "But, how do I use it?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll know when the time comes. Listen my dear... I said earlier I sensed magic in Tegryn, but it was different from the others - it was more like yours, like a witch. How come?"

"Well, it's a long story..." she started, but before she could continue she was interrupted by a loud cheer from the crowd.

Jun tapped Mei on the shoulder and said "I think its time for the championship fight."

"Oh! Yes, you're right!" Mei jumped up and gave Tegryn a quick hug. "I'll be back soon, Brother!"

"Don't be long, okay?" he shouted after her as she sprinted off.

"Where's she going?" asked Musa. "Is she off to get a better view?"

"You'll see." he chuckled.

A loud collective gasp suddenly rang up from the spectators as a huge man, with arms as thick as tree trunks, clambered up onto the tournament pole.

"Whoa! Look at the size of that guy!" said Sky in astonishment.

"Yeah... no wonder he's the champion!" Brandon replied.

Tegryn laughed when he heard this. "I think you'll find he's NOT the champion."

A huge cheer reverberated around the village as a much smaller figure jumped up onto the opposite end.

"What the...?" said Musa, hardly believing her eyes. "That's Mei! Mei's the champion!"

"Yep, that's my sister!" Tegryn chuckled. "I told you she was good!"

"But how can she beat that guy?" said Sky with a look of concern on his face. "Just look at him - he's massive! And... what's that?"

"What's what?"

"That weapon those guys are handing him."

"It looks like a giant hammer." said Riven, half-concentrating on the match and half-concentrating on trying to stop Sien Ko spilling her ice cream on his lap. "You've got to be kidding me! Your sister's gonna get pulverised."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Tegryn laughed. "This isn't a test of strength or power, it's all about speed and skill."

"But if she gets hit with that thing..."

"No no. You can't hurt what you can't touch. I can tell already that guy's way too slow as it is, and with that hammer as well... if you ask me, this is gonna be way too easy for her."

Sure enough, Mei was able to dodge her lumbering opponent's blows all to easily, jumping effortlessly out of the way as his mighty hammer smashed into the pole, leaving a huge dent. One swift leg sweep later, and the huge brute was soon sent crashing to the ground to a mighty cheer from the crowd.

"Yaay! Go Mei! Go Mei! Go Mei!" yelled the girls enthusiastically - it seems they decided to form their own unofficial cheerleading squad.

"That was amazing," said Riven in astonishment. "Her speed - it was almost unnatural!"

Mei soon returned to their table to a chorus of congratulations - it soon became clear that she hadn't even broken into a sweat, and as the afternoon wore on, Mei continued to breeze through the tournament.

"This really is too easy for you." Tegryn said as he patted his sister on the back. "You'll sleep well tonight!"

"Sleep? There's no way I'm sleeping tonight."

"Why not?"

"You remember that clearing up in the mountain?"

"What, the one where we all used to go camping?"

"Yes. That's what I want to do tonight. I want to show Musa where we used to hang out!"

"That's a brilliant idea! Guys, what do you think?"

"Sounds cool..." Stella replied, "As long as there aren't loads of bugs and stuff. Royalty and insects don't mix, you know." 


	15. Sweet Dreams?

"So? What are you waiting for?"

"Yeah, hurry up and wreak some havoc in that pretty little head of hers!"

"Icy? Stormy? Could you please shut the hell up! I'm trying to concentrate." Kaiser snapped.

"But surely it can't be that difficult to find her. You did place that marker on her properly when you... kissed her?" Icy shuddered as she said that dreaded 'K' word.

"Yeah, yeah... but it's a lot more difficult to invade somebody's dreams when they're not in the same realm as you."

"What do you mean?"

"Layla's not in Alfea, nor is she anywhere in Majix. Let's see now... where are you, my lovely?" He closed his eyes and breathed deeply as he put all his efforts into locating Layla. "Ah, there she is... she's on Earth with all her friends... and she's not asleep yet. Damn it, I'll have to wait for a few hours."

* * *

Back in the forest, everyone was gathered around a large camp fire, exchanging stories and chatting happily - all except Tegryn and Musa, who were sat arm in arm on a rock just a few yards away, taking all the large valley that sat below them, all bathed in moonlight. Mei sighed as she saw the two of them kissing, silhouetted against the large, bright moon.

"It's so good to see Brother so happy. They make such a nice couple - so romantic!"

"Here." Tecna said as she handed her a camera. "Why don't you take a picture?"

Mei looked the tiny camera, puzzled, before taking the photo.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you sure the photo will show up in this light?"

"Of course" Tecna smiled. "That's the cutting edge in Binary Galaxy technology!"

"Binary Galaxy? I've never heard of that company before - are they Japanese?"

"Company? No, it's where I... oh." Tecna stopped short of finishing that sentence.  
"Tecna? What's wrong?" asked Bloom.

Tecna whispered in her ear. "I'm just wondering... should we tell her about where we come from?"

"I can't see why not." Bloom whispered back. "After all, she already knows we're fairies."

"That's true." Tecna turned back to Mei. "Sorry about that. What I was saying is, the Binary Galaxy is where I come from - it's my homeworld."

"Homeworld? Home...WORLD? Do you mean... you're an alien?"

"Well, I'm not from Earth if that's what you mean. None of us are, except for Bloom."

Mei's eyebrows rose so far up her head when she heard this, it seemed as though they were ready to jump right off. "What, even Musa? Musa's from another planet? Does Brother know?"

"Oh yes, he's totally cool with it. I think he was a little shocked at first, but he's been to so many places and seen so many things, he had no trouble accepting it." Tecna chuckled. "I get the feeling your grandmother has already figured this out."

Mei giggled. "Probably... she's a very perceptive woman - nothing gets past her! Anyway... please, tell me more about your home."

And so the time was whiled away with the fairies telling Mei all about them - their homes, their school, their powers, their run-ins with the witches - they even took the time out to show her their wings. And in all this time, Mei couldn't help thinking - this day had started so ordinarily, but now? Not only had her brother returned, but his new friends had transported her to what she could only describe as a total fairytale, a complete fantasy that she would never have believed if the proof hadn't been sitting there right in front of her.

* * *

A few hours passed by, and the whole group had settled down to sleep under the stars, warmed by the dying embers of their fire.

All except one... Layla was nowhere near the fire, or indeed the forest or the mountain. Instead, she was walking in a field full of waist-high grass, beautiful cornflowers and bright red poppies. She looked around her as a warm summer breeze played around her, carrying the cheerful song of a distant songthrush into her senses.

"Ah, Layla! I'm glad you could join me!"

Her face immediately brightened as she heard those soothing tones. She turned around to see the object of her love standing behind her. She ran over and embraced him, but as he went to kiss her she pulled away.

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"I still don't know your name."

"Is my name really important?"

"It is to me."

"Very well... I am Kaiser. Do I get my kiss now?"

Layla giggled - she was only too happy to oblige. She gently pressed her lips against his, savouring every giddying moment of it.

"So where are we, Kaiser?" she asked.

"This place? It's anywhere you want it to be!"

"That's just like you." she sighed. "A complete mystery. I know absolutely nothing about you."

"Oh, don't you worry." Kaiser said smiling. "You'll find out about me soon enough, I promise you that."

He softly ran his fingers through her hair. Layla closed her eyes and quivered slightly - just the mere touch of him made her tingle. She briefly wondered whether this feeling was right - does Musa feel this way when Tegryn touches her? What about Bloom, or Stella, or Tecna, Flora or Charlotte?

She opened her eyes to see his own dark, mystifying eyes staring intently into hers. As she gazed into them, she noticed something odd - they seemed to change colour, from a dark brown into an intense red, swirling, glowing. A slight feeling of fear began to creep into her... what's going on here? She started to try and pull away from him, but his grip was too strong. She was getting so scared now, butjust as her fear began to peak, a numbness quickly took over as she fell further and further into Kaiser's spell.

"Do you love me?" he said softly.

"Yes... I love you." she replied, deep in her trance.

"How much do you love me?"

"My love is endless... I will do anything for you."

"Anything?" he said with an evil chuckle. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear!"

"What would you like me to do for you?" Layla asked.

"You'll know when it's time. Just wait for my instructions." With that, he took her in his arms and kissed her passionately...

* * *

...then she woke up.

Layla sat up in her sleeping bag with a start, panting heavily, her body drenched in sweat. Trembling, she put her hand on her chest - her heart was beating so hard, it felt as though it was straining to burst free.

Next to her, Flora stirred. "Layla honey, are you alright?" she asked sleepily.

Layla gulped. "Yeah, I'm fine... I've just had the weirdest dream."

"Oh. What was it about?"

Layla looked confused as she strained to recollect what had just happened. "I... I don't know." she said, rubbing her face. "I can't remember..." 


	16. A Beautiful Challenge

Slowly but surely, morning took over night. The early summer sun gently warmed An-Chuan and it's surrounding woodland. Mei and the others had been awake for quite some time now, woken hours earlier by the gentle chirruping of a joyous dawn chorus, performed by hundreds of unseen birds. They sauntered down the hill back into the village, bright-eyed after a peaceful night's sleep, except for Layla, who still seemed disturbed by her intense but now forgotten dream. Tegryn walked alongside Musa and Mei, happily chatting and joking, when all of a sudden they were interrupted by a happy cry.

"Tegryn!"

They looked over to see a stunningly beautiful teenage girl wearing a red silk traditional Chinese-style dress and a matching red carnation in her long silky hair running towards them as fast as her legs could carry her. When she reached them, she gazed lovingly at Tegryn.

"So it IS true!" she said, joyfully hugging him for all she was worth. "You've returned! You finally came back to me!"

She took the flower from her hair and gave it to Tegryn, and then, without warning, gave him a big kiss on the lips. Shocked, Tegryn gently pushed her away before it could go too far.

"Whoa! Pui Yin, wait a minute!"

Pui Yin looked confused at Tegryn, before bursting into giggles. "Ooh, I see! You're shy about kissing me in front of your friends! That's fine - we have the rest of our lives for that!"

"Oh, so this is Pui Yin!" said Musa, glaring jealously at this girl who had dared to kiss her Teggy - and right in front of her too.

Pui Yin looked at Musa. "I'm so sorry, that was so rude of me." she said, smiling sweetly. "I should introduced myself to my fiancé's friends before kissing him!"

"Look, Pui Yin... there's something I have to tell you, something really important." Tegryn said nervously as he took her to one side.

"Ohh, something important!" Pui Yin cooed excitedly. "But Tegryn darling, why are you taking me away from your friends? Aren't you going to introduce me? Are you embarrassed? Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of them!"

"No, believe me, I'd rather..."

"I insist!"

Tegryn bowed his head and sighed. "Very well. Pui Yin... I can't date you any more."

"I don't understand. Why not?"

"The thing is, well... we've been apart for many years now. I know you've held on for me and that's really very sweet of you, but... I've moved on."

"Moved on? But... I love you. Don't you love me?"

"I do love you, but only as a very dear friend. That's all we can be now. You see... I've met someone else, someone who I love very much, even more than you."

"You... you love someone else? You have another girlfriend?" she said, trying desperately to fight back the tears as her world started to crash in all around her. "Who is she?"

Tegryn looked at Musa and took her hand. "Pui Yin, I'm so sorry."

Pui Yin looked at them in disbelief, tears slowly streaming down her face. "I... I see." Unable to hold her emotions back any more, she started to run away sobbing, when suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks and composed herself.

"Tegryn... I challenge you!"

"Challenge me? To what?"

She pointed at the tournament pole. "I challenge you to a fight. If I fall first, I will give up on you and allow you to marry this... girl. But if I win, you will give her up and become my husband!"

A huge gasp rose up from the group.  
"WHAT!" Musa gasped, her eyes wide in astonishment.

"No way!" gasped Bloom.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Stella added.

"Tegryn, you can't accept that challenge!" said Anyuna, her voice tinged with desperation as she grabbed him by the shoulders and tried to pull him away. "Just walk away now, ignore her. Please? I can't lose you... we can't lose you. You can't marry her, you just can't!"

Tegryn looked down at the ground angrily. "Damn it!" was all he could say.

"What's up?" said Musa, before a look of horror edged its way onto her face as she realised exactly what he meant. "No! Don't tell me you're actually going to go through with this?"

"I don't have a choice. The laws of this village state that any challenges issued during the tournament have to be met." he said, clenching his fist in frustration. "If not, me and my entire family will be dishonoured, and they'll be forced to leave here for ever! That's probably why she challenged me and not you - she knew I'd be forced to accept it. Musie, I've only just found my family, and I can't make them homeless. I'm sorry, but I can't allow that to happen!"

Musa looked up at him sadly. "I understand why you have to do this... but what if you lose?"

"I won't lose," he whispered in her ear. "I promise. Remember that poem I wrote in your card? Nothing on earth will ever split us in two."

Pui Yin interrupted them. "The match will be at midday. You'd better make the most of what little time you have together with your girlfriend, because in a few hours time I'll be taking her place!" 


	17. Fighting For Musa

The time had come. 

The crowds were gathered in the village square. The midday sun beat down on them as they sat back, digesting the action they had already seen that morning and contemplating what was about to happen, all while taking in a traditionally prepared lunch. As predicted, Mei had breezed through her matches as only a reigning champion could, but now all eyes were on Tegryn as he prepared for his own vital matchup, accompanied as always by his loving Musa who hugged him tenderly.

"I can't believe this could be it." she said sadly. "This could be the last time I hold you. This sucks."

"I know it does, I know." he said, stroking her hair in a vain effort to comfort her. "But I promised you before - I won't lose."

"Tegryn! It's time!" a voice shouted from above them. Pui Yin was standing on the pole, clutching a long staff, glaring down at Tegryn and Musa.

"Yes, in a minute!" he shouted back. He looked at Musa's big, sad eyes. "Don't be scared babe, we'll still be together when this is finished." With that, he kissed Musa, who was only too happy to return the favour. All too soon, the kiss ended and Tegryn clambered up onto the pole. He shakily balanced himself and looked angrily at Pui Yin.

"This was pretty low of you Pui Yin - I thought you were better than this."

She looked shocked to hear this. "What! How can you say that to me? I love you."

"Look, I don't want to hurt you. Just withdraw your challenge and walk away."

"NEVER!" she growled. "I will never give up on you! I'll win your heart, even if I have to defeat you to do it!" With that, she thrust her staff at him, barely missing his head, before spinning around and attempting to catch his legs with it. Tegryn easily jumped over it, but as he did, Pui Yin spotted an opening and took the opportunity to catch him square in the face with a high kick.

Tegryn staggered back and felt his eye - it was throbbing and already starting to swell up.

"And I thought you loved me." he said sarcastically.

"Don't worry my darling - I'll kiss it better as soon as I've beaten you."

"It'll be Musa who does the kissing, not you!"

That last comment made Pui Yin even angrier than before. She started spinning her staff around her, quicker and quicker until it was just a blur.

"Whoa!" said Sky as he looked on in awe. "Look at the speed of that thing! She's twirling that staff around like it's just some kid's cheerleading baton!"

But this was no toy, and Tegryn was all too aware of it as she rained lightning-fast blows all over his body with her weapon. He knew had to do something quick, as there was no way he could withstand this attack for much longer.

"Why is he holding back?" said Musa, getting more and more worried with each second. "Come on Teggy!"

"Why doesn't he use his magic?" said Tecna.

"I dunno. Maybe he thinks that'll be cheating." Bloom replied.

"Maybe, but there's nothing in the rules that says he can't, right Mei?"

"Hmmm... I guess so." his sister replied. "Only blades are forbidden."

"Teggy!" Musa shouted over the noise of the crowd. "Give her a Rage Blast! Use your powers. It's okay!"

"What? No! I don't need to resort to that."

Pui Yin laughed when she heard this. "Rage Blast? What on earth is a 'Rage Blast'?"

"I'm glad to say it's something you'll never get to see."

"I guess it could wait until after our wedding, anyway."

"Wedding? That'll never happen and you know it."

"Oh, but it will - and sooner than you think too! Today will be a good day for our marriage... and guess what? It's already been arranged! All you have to do is let me win, and I'll be your forever-loving wife by the end of the day!"

As Tegryn backed away from Pui Yin's assault, an idea came to him - he backflipped over towards the end of the pole, then grabbed one of the chains. He span himself around faster and faster, then let go. He shot across towards Pui Yin and kicked her staff away, then aimed a low kick at her legs as his momentum carried him forward. His kick hit home, knocking her over the edge of the pole - but she somehow managed to grab a rather shaky hold in a notch in the wood.

"It's not over yet!" she yelled as without warning, she grabbed Tegryn's ankle and yanked him off the pole before losing her own hold. Time seemed to go in slow-motion as they both fell, crashing together to the floor in a dusty heap.

Tegryn groaned as he picked himself up. Pui Yin laughed as she watched Musa race over to him.

"That's it! I've won! Tegryn's mine!" she shouted victoriously.

"What are you talking about?" Musa answered back angrily. "YOU hit the ground first, not him. My Teggy won. He's mine!"

"Never! I saw him - he fell before me!"

The two girls squared off, glaring fiercely at each other.

"Neither of you won!" an imposing voice boomed behind them. They looked around to see a large man towering over them - it was the village chief. "You both hit the ground at the same time - this match is a tie. Whatever your issue was with each other, it won't be resolved today."

Pui Yin looked at Tegryn in disbelief, watching him hugging Musa as she happily showered him with congratulations kisses.

"This isn't over yet! Just you wait Tegryn - one day, **I** will be yours, not her!" she yelled as she stormed off.

"Thank goodness that's over!" Tegryn said to Musa, breathing a sigh of relief. "I tell you something though - I was wrong about one thing."

"What was that?"

"I did need to use magic after all."

"Did you? I didn't see any."

"As I was falling, I used my telekinesis powers to slow me down a bit - if I hadn't had done that..." Tegryn shuddered - THAT just wasn't worth thinking about. "It's just a shame it wasn't enough to beat her completely though - she's gonna be hanging over my head every time I come back here."


	18. A Fond Farewell

"Do you really have to go now?" 

"Sorry sis, we have to - we have classes tomorrow."

A wry smile appeared on Jun's face. "My grandson, back in school - I still can't believe it!"

Spirits were high. The tournament was over, and the celebratory feast was well underway. Mei sat next to Musa and Tegryn, her gold championship trophy sitting proudly in front of her. Jun sat next to Mirta, listening with fascination to Mirta's stories about Alfea and Majix. Further down the table, Sien Ko was perched happily on Riven's lap, munching on a slice of water melon that was easily twice the width of her head.

Yes, the entire village was attending the feast, along with everyone who came from far and wide to compete... but Tegryn had noticed that was one person who hadn't turned up, and he knew all too well why that was - Pui Yin was obviously too upset to celebrate Mei regaining her crown, and it saddened Tegryn to know that he was the reason why this normally-sociable girl was hurt so bad. But what could he do? He loved Musa now, and he had tried his best to make Pui Yin see that as gently as he could.

"Teggy? Teggy, are you okay? You seem rather down."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah Musie, I'm fine. It's just a shame we couldn't stay any longer."

"Don't worry Brother," Mei said, putting a comforting arm around him. "Now you know how to get here, you can see us any time... or maybe we can come and visit you!"

"Visit us? Now that'd be great! We'll have to see what we can arrange."

"Cool! So, um, can you remember which way you'll be going home? You came in on the southern path, right?"

"The southern path? No, I think it'll be best if we go via the house."

"Eh? But that's nowhere near the path. I don't understand."

"You'll see when we get there!"

And so they got up from their seats, said their goodbyes to all their new friends (although Sien Ko was less than happy to let her new friend go), and made their way back to Jun's cottage to collect their belongings. Mei was still confused by what Tegryn said before.

"So, if you're not taking the southern path, which way will you be taking home?"

"This way! Tecna?"

Tecna took her cue and opened a portal home. Mei stared at it, her eyes seeming to get wider by the second. Jun chuckled, amused by what she saw.

"A magic door, eh? Yes, that seems about right!"

One by one, everyone stepped through the portal back home, with Musa and Tegryn last. As he hugged his sister, he asked her "Mei? Can you do something for me?"

"Sure Brother, what is it?"

"Talk to Pui Yin for me. Just try and get her to accept that I love Musa now, not her, and tell her I'm sorry for hurting her feelings."

Musa was shocked to hear this. "Teggy, why do you want her to do that?"

"Simple - I'd rather have her as a friend than an enemy."

"What! Even after what she did earlier?"

"Believe it or not, she's actually a very nice girl... it's just a shame she doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'ex'. As soon as she does, you'll see for yourself, and maybe you'll even be friends with her - just trust me on this one, okay?"

Musa hesitated. "Okay... but I'm not happy about it."

* * *

She wasn't the only one who was unhappy. Elsewhere in the village, Pui Yin had finished pouting. Of course she wasn't at all pleased - she had waited for so long, she had kept herself just for him despite the many declarations of love from other admirers, and then the love of her life turns up out of the blue hand-in-hand with another girl! How could he do this to her? She felt sickened just thinking about it - the only thing she could do now was to try and plead with him to take her back. She had to talk with him, and so she made her way to the feast - but when she got there, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is he? Where's my Tegryn?" she demanded.

"Tegryn? He went to Mei's house. I think they're all preparing to go home."

"Go home? But... his home is with me." she said, stifling a tear. There was no time to lose, and so she sprinted over to the house as fast as she could... but when she got there, she noticed a odd glow coming from behind the front door. Odd glows coming from behind doors aren't usually a good sign, so she decided that rather then knocking, it would be best to see what on earth was happening.

Carefully, she opened the door, just enough so she could see inside, just enough to see... Tegryn and Musa, hand in hand, waving to Mei and Jun, whilst stepping into a swirly purple thing. She couldn't believe her eyes - was she really seeing this? Frightened, she ran and hid around a corner. She leant up against a wall, her hands over her mouth, panting, trembling, trying desperately to collect ther thoughts.

_'What was that?'_ she thought to herself. _'What kind of witchcraft...'_

She gasped. That's it! That's the only logical explanation - witchcraft! Oh, it's all so clear now - this Musa is a witch, a nasty evil witch, and she's somehow trapped her poor Tegryn with her vile magic. That explains everything. That's why he, the guy who had spent countless nights holding her, kissing her, whispering sweet nothings to her right up until the day he disappeared, was acting so cold and cruel towards her now.

She knew what she must do. Somehow she must rescue Tegryn from Musa's wicked clutches... but how? She didn't even know where he was living... but perhaps Mei would. That's it, she had to keep an eye on Mei and her grandmother - maybe they'll provide some clues.

"Don't worry Tegryn, I'LL save you." she said to herself, clenching her fist with determination, her eyes streaming with tears. "One way or another, I'll have you back where you belong... in MY arms!"


	19. Layla's Mission

A new day had began, as indeed had a new school term, and after that highly eventful spring break the students of Alfea were getting back into the normal routine. For Musa, that meant walking with Tegryn to classes (with Polli in tow - the poor thing, she didn't like being away from Tegryn, even if it was just for a day or two), just to make sure he didn't get lost - apart from his disappearance a few weeks ago after he was hoodwinked by Darcy into believing Musa had cheated on him, he had missed a few classes simply because he couldn't find the right room, a fact that annoyed Griselda more than a little bit. 

As they walked down the corridor alongside the Starz, they were met by Ms Faragonda.

"Good grief!" she exclaimed with some surprise as she saw his black eye. "Mr Devanallt, what on Majix happened to your face?"

"My face?" he said, gingerly touching his still-swollen eye. "I, err, got into a bit of a fight."

Faragonda laughed. "Well at least it wasn't on school property! Fist-fights are most un-fairylike!"

"Ah, but how do you know it wasn't here?"

"Don't worry, I know all about your weekend excursion. It must've been good to finally see your family again after all this time. So tell me... who gave you that black eye?"

"A jealous ex-girlfriend."

"Ouch! Well let's just hope she hasn't followed you here!"

"She'll have to get through me first!" said Anyuna grumpily. "We almost lost Teggy because of her. I tell you, if she ever comes anywhere near him again, she'll be the one with the black eye!"

"Now now Yuni!" Tegryn said, patting his friend gently on the back. "There was no harm done, was there? The main thing is I'm still here with you guys, just as it should be, and that's how it's gonna stay... right Musie?"

"You'd better!" she said, planting a small kiss on his lips. "Polli, you look after Teggy, and make sure he behaves himself, okay? I'll see you at lunch, babe - laters guys!"

And so off Musa sped to her first lesson - advanced metamorphsimbiosis with Professor Wizgiz, one of the more enjoyable courses. The lesson itself was ordinary enough (well, ordinary by Wizgiz standards anyway) and the Winx girls sat quietly at their desk, listening hard to the Professor and busily scribbling down notes, but as the lesson wore on, Layla suddenly felt an odd sensation.

_'Layla...'_

She looked around, confused. "Who said that?" she said.

"Who said what?"

"Hmmm? Oh, I'm sorry Professor."

As he carried on, Flora leant over and whispered "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so." she whispered back.

_'Layla... don't say anything, just think.'_

"Who are you? What do you want?"

_'Heh heh heh... come on, is that really any way to think to your boyfriend?'_

_'Kaiser!'_ Layla smiled dreamily as she recognised the voice of her love.

_'Good, you remembered my name. Now then, I want you to get out of class as quick as you can.'_

_'Why?'_

_'Never mind why, just do it.'_

_'But...'_

_'You said you would do anything for me.'_

_'Yes, but I can't just walk out of lessons.'_

_'You will if I tell you to...'_

A strange sensation started to come over her, the same numb feeling she had felt in her dreams, growing more and more intense until she was once again totally in his power.

_'Now then my dear, it's time to skip class. Don't worry, I'll give you a good excuse.'_

Without warning, a stabbing sensation shot across her. She doubled up in pain, clutching her stomach and groaning in agony. Her friends rushed over to her to help.

"Layla! What's wrong?"

"I think you'd better get yourself off to Ofelia." Tecna said. "Do you need any help?"

"No, thank you." she grunted as she staggered out into the corridor. "I can go on my own."

As soon as she was out of sight, the pain suddenly disappeared.

_'I do apologise for that... I hope it didn't hurt too much! Now then - are you ready for my next instruction?'_

_'Yes... I am ready.'_ she replied, almost trance-like.

_'Good... make your way to Stella's room - and make sure no-one sees you.'_

Obediently, Layla snuck her way into Stella's room, and quietly closed the door behind her.

_'Very good baby. Now then, I want you to find the Ring of Solaria. And don't worry about doing it neatly neither.'_

Layla did as she was told, totally powerless to resist his orders. One by one, she tore out the drawers from Stella's dressers, rummaging through their contents. She opened all her wardrobes and flung out every piece of clothing she could lay her hands on. She opened every jewellery box and emptied their contents onto the floor.

_'There! That's it!'_

Sure enough, Layla had found the Ring of Solaria, and she quickly picked it up.

_'Excellent work. Now, put it in your pocket and bring it to me, quickly. Walk out into the forest - I'll guide you.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, the lesson had just finished and the Winx girls were rushing over to the infirmary.

"Oh, I do hope she's okay," said Flora. "She's been acting rather odd lately."

"Odd?" said Bloom. "How do you mean?"

"Well, that night when we were camping in the forest, I noticed she was awake and she looked really shaken. She had she'd had a strange dream, but she couldn't remember what it was about."

"Hmmm, that is odd."

"And then there's those flowers she's been getting. She swears they smell really beautiful, but none of us can smell a thing. Do you think it has anything to do with this?"

"It could be."

Eventually, they reached the infirmary where they were greteed by Ofelia.

"Ah, hello girls."

"Hi! Is Layla alright? How is she?" asked Bloom.

Ofelia looked rather baffled at this. "I really don't know. Why?"

"Where is she?"

"Who, Layla? How would I know?"

"What? Isn't she here?"

"No, I haven't seen her at all."

"Really?"

"Really. What's wrong?"

"She fell ill during class, and she was going to come here to get it checked out."

"Oh dear. Well, maybe she went to her room for a rest instead. Have you tried there?"

"No, we haven't, we'll look there now. Thanks."

And so they rushed over to their rooms as quickly as they could, but as soon as they arrived they noticed something odd... the door to Stella's room was open. Warily, they walked in - and to say Stella didn't like what she saw would be a major understatement.

"Argh! My room! My accessories! My beautiful clothes! How could anyone do this to them! How could they!"

"Now now Stella, calm down. You're hyperventilating!"

Flora looked puzzled. "Oh my! Who could've done this?"

"It couldn't have been Layla, could it?"

"Surely not, she could never have done..."

"Look!" shouted Musa, pointing out of the window. "There she is!"

Sure enough, there was Layla, walking quickly out of Alfea's main gate and into the forest.

"There's something very strange going on here guys." Bloom said. "Come on, we'd better follow her!"


	20. Female Darcy's Bad Enough

Tegryn and the Starz walked down into the main hallway after their first lesson, when all of a sudden they saw the Winx girls dashing out of the front door. 

"Hey! Hey Musa! What's going on?" Tegryn yelled, jogging over to catch up with her.

"Oh Teggy, something's happened to Layla. She fell ill and left the class so we went to find her cos we were all so worried but she wasn't..." Musa babbled quickly.

"Whoa whoa - slow down a bit will you? What's happened to Layla?"

"Oh, there's no time. Come on, I'll explain on the way."

They all rushed out of the castle and into the forest, but their friend was nowhere to be seen.

Bloom looked around and sighed heavily. "She could be anywhere... we'll have to split up."

A good idea's a good idea, so that's exactly what they did - Bloom, Mimi and Nini carried on ahead, Flora, Tecna and Charlotte went off to the left, and Tegryn, Musa, Stella and Anyuna took the right.

"Layla!" Tegryn yelled at the top of his voice. "Layla! Where are you?"

Stella groaned. "This is hopeless... she could be anywhere."

"Wait... what's that?" said Musa, pointing to what looked like a dark figure standing around amoungst some distant bushes.

"Hey, that might be her!"

They raced up to the figure, but as they approached it, they got a less than pleasant surprise as they came face to face with her. They also noticed she wasn't alone - a man was sat nearby, deep in concentration.

"Darcy! I might've known you'd have something to do with this!" Tegryn scowled.

"Yeah! Where's Layla?"

The young witch laughed. "Layla? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Polli let out a little "Eep!" and started whispering into Tegryn's ear.

"Stop lying to us! You know exactly what we're talking about! What have you done with her!" Musa yelled.

"What have **I** done with her? Why, **I've** done nothing at all!"

Tegryn looked at Polli - the little pixie was silent.

"Hmmm, so maybe YOU haven't done anything... but you DO know what's going on!"

"So what if I do? What are you going to do about it?"

"Look, we don't have time for your stupid games - just tell us where she is, or else..."

Tegryn was interrupted in mid-rant by Kaiser's grumpy voice coming from behind Darcy.

"Hey! How am I supposed to concentrate with all this racket going on? I've totally lost my hold on her now!"

Kaiser looked over at Tegryn, and laughed.

"Ah, so you must be Darcy's friend!"

"I am NOT her friend." Tegryn replied grumpily. "Still, at least now she has a boyfriend of her own - maybe she'll stop bugging me and Musa now."

A look of revulsion came onto Darcy and Kaiser's faces.

"Boyfriend? Don't be so revolting! This is my brother, Kaiser."

"Brother! Oh, well that's just great, that is." Tegryn groaned. "Female Darcy's bad enough - now we've got to put up with a male version!"

Kaiser grunted in disapproval at this insult. "I really don't like the way you're speaking to me - you'd better apologise, and quick."

"And what if I don't?"

Kaiser chuckled menacingly. "You're really not afraid of me, are you?"

"Of you? No."

"Oh, you will be!" he said as he raised his hand in Tegryn's direction. "Fear Factor!" A dark blue bolt shot out of Kaiser's hand, slammed into Tegryn... and did absolutely nothing.

Tegryn looked around with a slightly bemused look on his face, then laughed.

"Was that it? Was that the best you've got? Cos if it is, this is gonna be a very short..."

Tegryn stopped abruptly and sniffed - he could smell something... something burning. He looked around anxiously, fear slowly trickling into him as his gaze fell upon a small cloud of smoke billowing over towards him, quickly getting thicker and darker. Then completely out of the blue, the ground around him suddenly burst into flame, completely surrounding him in a ring of fire.

Tegryn gasped in fright and crouched on the floor, shielding his face with his arms in a desperate effort to protect himself from the flames, which seemed to be creeping closer and closer, tightening the circle in which he was trapped.

"No! Get it away from me! Help! HELP!"

And what about Musa, and Stella and Anyuna? They were totally trapped too...

...well, actually they weren't - they were well away from the fire. In fact, there wasn't even a fire. Kaiser's diabolical magic had played on Tegryn's worst fear, his fear of fire. In his mind, the entire world was alight, but in reality, everything was normal, especially for the others who looked on worried at Tegryn cowering from an imaginary blaze.

"Teggy? What's wrong?" Musa cried as she started to race forward.

"That's as close as you get, pixie!" cried Icy from behind them as she caught the three girls by surprise in her trademark Ice Coffin attack. They struggled to get free but it was no good - they were well and truly frozen.

"Kaiser? Is that you?"

Kaiser reluctantly tore himself away from the fun, and turned around to see Layla standing there.

"Hey babe!"

"Hey, it is you!" she beamed, running forward and hugging him. "This is so wierd. I don't know what's going on... I was in my lessons, and the next thing I know I'm out here. What's happening?"

"Layla!" Musa yelled. "It's a trap!"

Layla looked behind Kaiser, and was shocked by what she saw. She started to run forward to try and help her friends free themselves from their frozen cocoon, but stopped in her tracks as she noticed the three witches standing behind them.

"Witches!" she gasped. "Watch out Kaiser! I'll protect you!"

He chuckled menacingly. "My dear, I don't need YOU to protect me from them!"

"Get away from him!" Musa shouted. "He's one of them!"

"What? No, it can't be!" Layla spluttered in disbelief. She turned around and faced Kaiser.

"Kaiser..." she pleaded with him. "Please tell me this isn't true!"

Kaiser said nothing, but just stood there, arms folded, staring at Layla with a look of pure malice.

Darcy laughed. "Ah, so YOU'RE my brother's new girlfriend! So nice to see you... sister!"

Layla started to panic. Sweat started to trickle down her forehead as a million thoughts raced through her mind. Kaiser... is Darcy's brother? How could this be? How could he betray her like this? How could she be so stupid? She had to get out of here and warn the others, but there was no way out - she was flanked by Kaiser, Darcy and Icy, and Stormy was hovering overhead like a sinister vulture waiting to pick off her prey.

There was no escape.


	21. The Celestial Sceptre

The situation was bad to say the least - Layla was surrounded on all sides, Musa, Stella and Anyuna were totally encased in ice, and Tegryn was cowering helplessly, his mind taken over by the evil effects of Kaiser's Fear Factor spell.

Kaiser stepped forward. "I must say Layla, this has been tremendous fun but alas, I'm afraid we really must be going now. If you'll be so kind as to give me my present, we'll be on our way."

"P-present?" Layla stammered, tears welling up in her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"You know - the one you've so kindly brought from Alfea for me."

"But... I didn't bring anything."

"No? So what's that in your pocket?"

Puzzled, Layla put her hands in her pockets and quickly rummaged around... he was right! There was something in there, something small. She pulled it out and looked at it.

Stella gasped. "My ring! The Ring of Solaria! What are you doing with it?"

"I don't know. Honestly, I don't."

Kaiser held out his hand. "Give me the ring!" he demanded.

"No way!" Layla yelled as she backed away from him.

"I don't have time for any games!" Kaiser said angrily. "Now give me the ring!"

"NO!"

"It's not as if you have a choice Layla!" Kaiser said as his eyes started to glow a deep red. "Now, give me the ring!"

Layla shuddered and started to breathe heavily, her own eyes glowing as she fell once again into his power.

Anyuna gasped. "Her eyes! Look at her eyes!"

"He's hypnotised her! No wonder she didn't know she had my ring." said Stella. "Fight it Layla, fight it!"

"Give me the ring!" Kaiser growled.

"No! Don't do it!" Musa yelled in desperation.

"Yes... I will give you the... NO!" Layla started to back away as she suddenly regained her senses.

Kaiser growled. "I've had enough of this!" A dark bolt shot out from his hand and knocked Layla to the floor. Groaning, she started to pick herself up, but not before Kaiser snatched the ring from her hands. He laughed loudly as he held the ring above his head triumphantly. Layla knelt on the gound, defeated, crying uncontrollably.

"Yes! The Ring of Solaria is mine at last!" Kaiser shouted, his maniacal laughter ringing throughout the forest.

"Why?" Layla wept. "Why did you do it?"

"Why? I'll tell you why." Kaiser reached into his own pocket and took out another ring. "Do you know what this is?"

"It can't be!" Stella gasped. "That's the Ring of Lunaria!"

"Lunaria?" asked Anyuna.

"Yes, Lunaria - Solaria's sister planet, but... the Ring of Lunaria was stolen years ago. How come you have it?"

"Oh come on - I knew blondes were dumb, but surely even YOU can work this one out!"

"It was you, wasn't it? YOU stole it!"

"Well done!"

"But why did you steal my ring as well if you already have the Ring of Lunaria? It's just as powerful!"

"True, both rings are powerful by themselves..." he said as he tossed them up in the air. The two rings transformed into their Sceptre forms, the Sceptre of Lunaria being equal in size and shape to it's Solarian sister but with a crescent moon emblem instead of a star. "...but when they're combined, their power becomes even greater - observe!"

Kaiser held them above his head and brought the two sceptres together. They exploded into a blinding shower of sparks as their massive energies began to merge. Eventually, the glow died down and they were able to see the result - a magnificent golden sceptre, with a glittering crescent moon and star at the end.

"Behold, the legendary Celestial Sceptre!" he cried as he held his prize aloft. "With this, nothing can stop me. I'm all-powerful now, and there's not a damn thing you fairies can do about it!"

Darcy applauded. "Excellent work brother! Now, why don't you give these pixies a quick demonstration of its power... by frying them with it!"

Kaiser chuckled. "No, no - be patient my sister. They'll feel its power soon enough. For now we'll leave them be, and we'll return when I've gotten more accustomed to it and figured out what mayhem we can do with it. So long, fairies!"

They started to walk away, but then Kaiser stopped and turned around. He stood over Layla and lifted her chin upwards so she was looking straight at him, her wet tear-soaked cheeks glistening in the sunlight.

"Oh Layla dearest, there is just one more thing."

"What?" she sobbed.

"You're DUMPED!"

Kaiser's laughter filled the forest once again, his cruel words equalled in cruelty only by the witches' own nasty cackling as they walked away, leaving Layla slumped on the floor, crying, totally humiliated. 


	22. Falling For The Wrong Guy

"Guys! What's happened?" They looked over to see Bloom and the others racing towards them. A quick burst of fire magic, and Musa, Stella and Anyuna were soon free. Musa and Anyuna went over to Tegryn, who was calming down as the effects of the Fear Factor spell slowly died away. Blinking, he saw that Musa and Anyuna were with him, and hugged Musa as tightly as he could. Anyuna looked on, glad that he was okay, but quietly hoping to herself that she'd get a hug too.

"Oh, thank goodness you're all safe! I though that fire had got you!"

"Fire? Teggy, what are you talking about? There was no fire."

"Of course there was a fire, the whole forest was in flames but..." he looked around, confused. "Hang on... the forest - it was all burning, but the ground, the trees... they're all still green... how?" Then he realised. "Kaiser! Oh, I get it now. That spell of his - it made my fear a reality!"

"What?" said Anyuna, shocked. "You're afraid of fire? Oh, you poor thing!" she said, tentatively putting her arm around him.

"Oh my!" said Charlotte. "And I'm a fire fairy! I hope that doesn't mean you're afraid of me too!"

"We saw a massive flash of light coming from over here - what's going on?" Bloom asked. "And who's this Kaiser guy?"

"Kaiser is... WAS Layla's boyfriend." Stella explained. "He had her under some sort of mind control. That creep totally played her!"

"He's so gonna pay for that!" said Musa, still comforting Tegryn. "No-one disses my peeps and gets away with it!"

"But why did he do it?" Bloom asked Stella. "Why did he hurt Layla like this?"

"To steal the Ring of Solaria. He'd already stolen the Ring of Lunaria, and he combined them to form the Celestial Sceptre."

"The Celestial Sceptre? I've read about that!" said Tecna. "It's an incredibly powerful source of magic. But I thought that was only a legend."

"It was... but now it's real - and what's worse, the witches have it." Layla sobbed. "And it's all my fault! How could I have been so stupid?"

"Now come on, none of this was your fault. We all saw what happened." Stella said comfortingly.

"Let's get you back to Alfea." said Bloom. "You need some rest."

* * *

After the dramatic events of that day, the night was mercifully still, except for the odd cloud floating here and there in the gentle breeze. Up in the clock tower, a lone figure stood silhouetted against the moon, staring sadly down into the courtyard.

"Layla? Is that you?"

She turned around to see Anyuna hovering alongside her.

"Hi Yuni." she sighed. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Uh-huh. How are you doing?"

Layla let out a deep sigh. "I can't believe this happened. I mean... everything seemed so perfect, and then..."

Her voice trailed away as she broke down in tears. Anyuna pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped them off her face.

"Come on, you're gonna be alright. You're a tough girl, you'll get through this."

"But I've never loved anyone like that before. I just... I just don't think I could ever feel that way again. How will I know I won't get hurt? How can I ever love anyone again?"

"Oh Layla, that wasn't real love, he had you under some sort of hold. You'll find someone a million times better than that scumbag, I know you will, and then you'll know what real love is. It'll happen one day, you'll see. You just need some time to get over this. Time heals all wounds, as I think I heard Teggy say once"

"Yeah, you're right. I've already spoken to Faragonda about it. She suggested I go home for a few days to clear my head."

"Sounds like a good idea. We're gonna miss you like crazy, but by the end of the week you'll be wondering what you ever saw in him."

Anyuna sighed. "Layla... I'm sorry to bug you right now, but can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure you can."

"Oh man, how do I say this?" she muttered to herself before taking a deep breath. "I've been wanting to tell someone for a few days now, but it's so awkward. Thing is... well, you're not the only one who's fallen for the wrong guy."

"You have a crush as well? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing..." she said dreamily. "He's good-looking, smart, funny, romantic... he's everything I could ever want in a boyfriend."

"So what's the matter?"

"He already has a girlfriend, and she's such a cool girl, I wouldn't want to upset her... but this is hurting me so much inside."

"Is it someone I know then? Is it Riven? Sky? Brandon?"

"No." she replied sadly, staring down into the courtyard, watching a couple walking hand-in-hand before sharing a long, sweet kiss in the moonlight.

Layla looked down at them and gasped. "Tegryn? No!"

Anyuna closed her eyes. A tear fell, landing on the parapet with a small 'plap'. "I know it's wrong, totally wrong. We've been such good friends for ages now, but for the past week or so, I've had these... feelings for him. You know, when we were looking for Teggy's home village in the library, I managed to find it and Nini said Teggy was going to love me for it, and then he gave me that hug and kiss when we arrived in An-Chuan - ever since then, I've, well, you know, kinda liked him. I've always been so happy to see him and Musa together, but now, whenever I see him with Musa, I just want to rip her away and take her place. I'm such a bad person, but..."

"No you're not! You're not a bad person at all - you mustn't think like that. Yuni, you're an absolute angel and everyone knows it."

"But what can I do? I know I can't tell him, but I can't stay silent forever, can I?"

"I'm afraid you might have to. You're such good friends with him, but if you tell him, you could spoil it forever. And anyway, how do you know your crush will last forever? For all you know, those feelings you have for him could be gone tomorrow - everything will be back to normal and you'll be wondering what all the fuss was about."

"You really think so?"

"Uh-huh." Layla nodded.

"But... what if they don't? What if I always feel this way?"

"We don't know if that'll happen or not. After all, that's just a big 'what if', and that's no way to make decisions or live your life. I know it's gonna be difficult, but you must keep this all to yourself. It's the only way, really it is." Layla gave her friend a big hug. "Listen sweetie, I'm gonna go back to my room to pack - fancy helping?"

"Erm, no - I think I'll stay out here for a while, to get my head together. Besides, this is a great view."

"Yeah. Look, thanks for this chat. Those kind words of yours - they were exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you."

"No probs." She said as she waved her friend off. "Oh, Layla?"

"Yes?"

"Get me something nice from back home, okay?"

"Sure thing!" she smiled.

Anyuna looked on as Layla flew back to her room. She knew Layla was right, she knew she had to bury her feelings for Tegryn, for her own sake if no-one else's. After all, he's madly in love with Musa, and they were so made for each other - what chance would she have? And besides, she's no relationship-wrecker - there was no way in Majix she could ever bring herself to do that with a clear conscience.

No, the only sensible course would be to follow Layla's advice and not say a word about her feelings. Maybe Layla was right... maybe her crush will disappear in time. As gut-wrenchingly difficult as it was, she knew she must put her own feelings aside and just hope blindly for the best.

She bowed her head and sighed yet again. "Why?" she tutted to herself. "Why the hell did I have to fall in love with HIM, of all people?" 


	23. Bedtime Already?

The fairies of Alfea had been decidedly on edge for a couple of days now. News of Kaiser and the Celestial Sceptre had swept through the school like wildfire, but it had been almost a week since those events and so far nothing had happened - that's what made them nervous. They knew something was coming... but what, and when? 

In the meantime, they got on with things as best they could. It was lunchtime, with all pupils and staff present in the main dining hall taking on their midday meal. As usual, Tegryn was sat with the Starz, attempting to teach Polli how to eat Spaghetti Bolognese with less-than-successful (not to mention messy) results. Of course, he would've loved to be sat together with his sweetheart Musa, but even after all this time Griselda was still putting her foot down when it came to seating arrangements.

And Anyuna, poor Anyuna... she was doing her best to get over her crush, but it wasn't helped by sitting right opposite Tegryn, where she knew it was all too easy to catch crafty looks at those blue eyes of his, or to accidently brush his legs with her own. Instead, all she could do was try and to concentrate on chatting with Mimi and Nini, who were sitting next to him.

Yes, despite Layla's absence, the pupils and staff of Alfea were carrying on as normal... but once again that was about to be rudely interrupted by a group of unwelcome visitors...

* * *

Icy, Darcy and Stormy walked arrogantly through the main gate, accompanied by Kaiser carrying his glittering prize. 

"Hmph! No pixies around? That's a shame, I was really looking forward to kicking some fairy booty today." Stormy grumbled.

"I guess they're out to lunch."

"We knew that already Darcy, but where are they?" Icy replied, laughing at her own joke (or attempted joke, anyway).

"It doesn't matter." said Kaiser as they stopped at the centre of the courtyard. "It'll just make our job quicker and easier. Are you ready?"

The witches nodded and formed a circle as they all began to chant.

_Fairies, pixies, leprechauns, elves  
All of you are in too deep  
If you know what's good for you  
You'll close your eyes and fall asleep._

As the spell was completed, Kaiser drove the sceptre into the ground. A blinding golden flash erupted from it, quickly rippling from it through the school.

Back in the dining hall, the pupils and staff of Alfea were still chatting and eating, totally unaware of what was happening outside. Charlotte was busy trying to explain to Tegryn the finer points of transmogrification when all of a sudden she let out a huge yawn.

"Oh dear. Late night was it?" Tegryn joked.

"No, I was in bed... nice and... early..." she said, her voice trailing off before slumping forward where she sat, narrowly missing her bowl of soup.

"Charlotte!" Tegryn shouted, trying to shake his friend awake. "What's wrong?"

All of a sudden, Anyuna also yawned and she slumped forward, fast asleep. Soon, he became aware of more and more yawns filling the hall. He looked around to see everyone else falling asleep - the girls, Faragonda, Griselda, the other teachers, the school cook - even Polli, who was now sprawled across his shoulder and snoring rather loudly for such a little pixie.

"Teggy, what's happening?"

"Mirta! You're feeling alright?"

"Yes, I feel fine... I think."

They both looked around them. "It looks like we're the only ones awake here. What do you think caused this?"

"It's obviously a sleeping spell, and probably a witch's one too - I remember doing a project on sleeping spells back in Cloud Tower - but why aren't we asleep with the rest?"

"I don't know - this is too wierd." he said as he walked over to the Winx girls. His dear sweet Musa was dozing away, just like the others. He chuckled as he saw Stella, resting her weary head on her plate of pasta, her beautiful golden hair splashed in sauce. "Oh dear... I wouldn't want to be in those witches' shoes when she wakes up!" has said as he moved the plate and did his best to clean her up with a napkin.

Mirta chuckled. "We'd better look around - maybe somebody else is awake too."

They did exactly that, going out into the corridors in their search, but it was the same everywhere - all were sleeping. All too soon, Mirta spotted something outside.

"I might have known." she growled as she recognised the gruesome foursome. "Come on... let's see what they want." Bravely, they marched out to confront them.

"Oi!" Tegryn yelled at the top of his voice. Kaiser and the witches turned around and gawped at them with astonished looks in their faces. "What do you think you're doing?"

"How is this possible?" Kaiser said. "That sleep spell has never failed me before."

Darcy tutted. "You idiot! It didn't affect them because they aren't fairies, or pixies, leprechauns or elves - she's a witch and he's a... well, I don't know what HE is exactly, but he ain't a fairy."

Kaiser turned and glared at his sister. "Idiot? IDIOT! How DARE you insult me like that, and in front of these pixies too!"

Tegryn sniggered and nudged Mirta. "Aww, look at 'em fighting - if I didn't know any better, I'd say they really were boyfriend and girlfriend!"

Kaiser and Darcy stopped bickering and glared at Tegryn.

"You think you're so funny, don't you Tegryn?" Darcy yelled. "Well, pretty soon you won't be laughing at all!"

"And what exactly have you lot got planned?"

"You'll find out after we've taken the Codex!" Kaiser boasted. "The Celestial Sceptre is great, very great indeed... but it's not enough. We won't rest until ALL the power in the universe is ours!"


	24. A Well Timed Holiday

"The Codex?" Tegryn gasped. "You've come here to steal the Codex?" He looked at Mirta, before the pair of them exploded into a fit of giggles.

"Hey! Stop laughing!" Kaiser demanded. "I'm warning you - nobody laughs at me and gets away with it!"

"Yeah, what's so funny?" Icy added. "Does the thought of us being supremely powerful amuse you?"

"Oh dear," said Tegryn as he wiped a tear of laughter from his eye. "You've wasted your time coming here - you won't be getting the Alfea Codex today."

"And why not? Do you seriously think you can stop us from marching in there and taking the Codex from that little runt Concorda?"

"We don't need to stop you. In fact, be our guest and look around all you like - you'll soon see for yourself she ain't here!"

"You're lying."

"If you hadn't made my little friend Polli fall asleep with the others, you'll see we're telling the truth."

Kaiser nodded at Icy and Stormy, who ran off to begin their search whilst he and Darcy engaged Tegryn and Mirta in a glaring contest.

"So 'Teggy'" said Darcy in a rather awkward attempt to break the silence. "Did you enjoy your little trip to Earth?"

"Yes, not that it's any of your business."

"Yeah," said Mirta. "And how did you know about that anyway?"

Kaiser chuckled. "I really enjoyed messing with your friend's mind, even when she was trying to enjoy that little camping trip with you. Such a shame I had to disturb her beauty sleep!"

"I see. You share your sister's knack of butting into people's dreams when you're not wanted."

"Oh, she wanted me alright. Just like every other single fairy girl, she was utterly powerless against my charming personality."

Darcy looked at Mirta and tutted. "What's that thing you're wearing?" she said, looking at the Spirit Rod which Mirta had tucked into her belt.

"This? Oh, it's just a souvenir from Teggy's home."

"Hmph. It's dull, ugly and useless - it suits you perfectly!"

At that point, Icy and Stormy returned. "It's true - Concorda ain't here."

"So you were telling the truth after all." said Kaiser. "But how did you know she wasn't here?"

"Everyone here knows she's on holiday. She left a couple of days ago, and being a good guardian, she took her part of the Codex with her."

Mirta chuckled. "It was very good timing, wasn't it?"

"Yep. She probably saw this rabble coming a mile off. After all, they don't call her the Psychic Pixie for nothing!"

Kaiser turned around and started to walk away. "We've wasted our time here, and lost our element of surprise to boot! Come on girls, we're going."

"Not so fast Kaiser." Tegryn shouted after him. "We've got a couple of bones to pick with you!"

"Oh yes?"

"Yes. First of all, we're not gonna let you get away with hurting our friend like that. Layla's a very dear friend of ours, and she didn't deserve any of that."

Kaiser smiled. "You're right, poor innocent little Layla didn't deserve it... which made it even more fun!" He and his sisters laughed evilly. "So, got any more bones to pick with us, or can we go home now?"

"Not yet - that sceptre doesn't belong to you, it's Stella's - now hand it over!"

The wicked quartet looked bemused at this outburst for a second, then exploded into laughter.

"Such impertinence. Do you really think the two of you have the right to demand anything from me?" Kaiser replied arrogantly.

"Hand it over, or we'll take it from you."

"Bwah ha ha ha ha! This is getting funnier by the second!" Kaiser laughed uncontrollably... but his amusement was cut short by a well-aimed magic bolt.

"Good shot Mirta." Tegryn said to her. "That laugh of his was really beginning to get on my nerves."

Kaiser felt his face (just like they do in the movies) and stared at our two heroes with a look of hatred and malice in his eyes. "Stormy?" he said eventually.

"Yes?"

"Remember how you said you were itching to kick some fairy booty? Well, will these two do instead?"

Stormy rubbed her hands in glee. "Oh yes, these two will do quite nicely. What do you say girls?"

"Most definitely." Darcy replied. "Kaiser, won't you join us?"

"I wouldn't dream of it. I've been enjoying myself so much lately, it's only fair I let you have all the fun today!"

"That's very kind of you brother." Darcy said. "Although, your generosity is really quite sickening - it's most unbecoming of you."

"Hmm, you're right. If this ever gets out I'll never live it down."

"In that case, we'll just have to make sure these two dweebs never get to tell anyone else about it!" 


	25. Illusion Confusion

"Look, for once we don't have a quarrel with you three." Tegryn said, getting more and more frustrated by the second. "It's that piece of slime over there we want. Just get out of our way."

"You don't have a quarrel with us? That's too bad, 'cos WE have a quarrel with YOU, Teggy boy," Icy replied. "We owe you big time for what you did to us back in Cloud Tower."

"Yes, but if you hadn't twisted my mind with that potion of yours, none of that would've happened. What happened in Cloud Tower was totally your fault."

"Now now, you can't blame us for that! You knew perfectly well what you were doing - all we did was to try and help you along a bit. Too bad you made such a bad baddy!"

Stormy growled. "Enough chatter!" she said, unleashing a powerful lightning bolt which Tegryn and Mirta were barely able to avoid. Mirta responded with a handful of witch's fireballs, which exploded in front of the trio, sending up clouds of dust all around them.

"It's time to make these three dance to our tune." said Tegryn. "Here's a little spell Musa taught me - Boogie Blaster!" A large glitterball appeared out of thin air above the witches' heads and sent showers of magical blasts raining down upon them. Tegryn and Mirta laughed at the sight of them ducking and diving to avoid them, then tutted as Stormy shattered the ball with a timely bolt of her own.

"Cute trick - but you'll have to do better than that to beat us!"

"Don't worry girls, I intend to." he said as he unleashed a Rage Blast at Icy, who just stood there smiling. Without flinching, she created a curved wall of ice in front of her, which deflected the blast and channeled it straight back at Tegryn. Caught unawares by this unexpected move, he had no time to react to Icy's counter-attack, which hit him full on and sent him flying.

Mirta raced over to him, who groaned as he tried to pick himself up. "Listen Teggy, I think I have a plan." she whispered into his ear. Tegryn listened closely.

"Do you think you can create a diversion?" Mirta asked.

"Heh. One diversion coming up!" he chuckled, remembering the dust that was kicked up by Mirta's attack. Using his telekinetic powers, he kicked up a thick, swirling dust cloud of his own around the witches and then, just to completely disorientate them, cast a Confusion spell on them. In amongst the thick dusty haze, they could make out the silhouetted figures of the three girls, coughing and staggering about.

"cough! What do you call this?" Darcy spluttered. "Do you really think this will defeat us?"

"No, but we will!" shouted a voice from across the courtyard.

"What! Who's there?"

As the thick clouds gradually settled down, the Trix could make out a large group of girls marching towards them. Still reeling from Tegryn's Confusion spell, Icy gasped as she recognised them - it was the Winx Club.

"What's the matter?" asked Bloom. "Shocked that we woke up so early? Yes, that's right - your sleep spell failed, and the entire school's awake! You'd better get out of here while you still can!"

"That can't be right!" Icy spluttered. "That sleep spell was too powerful to wear off so quickly! Argh, my head!"

Tegryn and Mirta looked on satisfied as the witches started to back away... but then a bolt of dark magic shot out of the dust cloud and knocked Mirta off her feet. The group of girls fizzled out and vanished as she hit the floor and lost control of her Illusion magic.

"You foolish pixie-lover!" Darcy cackled as she stepped forward, followed by her two sisters. "Did you really think you could get me with my own Confusion spell?"

"You stupid, stupid boy!" Icy taunted. "You're really gonna get it now!"

"Did you really think you could beat the three of us together?" Stormy added.

"The three of you together?" said Tegryn thoughtfully. "Well, let's see if I can split you up - and with another of Darcy's spells too! Heel of Oblivion!" He raised his foot up and stamped the ground hard. A huge crack appeared in the earth and sped twoards the three witches, where it opened up into a gaping chasm in front of them.

"Oh, vandalising school property? Now that IS naughty!" said Darcy as she stepped back from the brink.

"Don't worry, I'm going to fix it right now!" Tegryn said with a smirk.

Closing his eyes, he raised his hands up in front of him and concentrated. As his hands started glowing a deep red, the large crack in the ground started to close up again. As it slammed shut with a deafening thud, it knocked the witches to the ground - but Tegryn wasn't finished there. The ground around the evil trio started to swell up and wash over their feet. Frantically they tried to pull themselves free but it was no use - the ground was quickly creeping up around their legs and over their bodies until eventually only their heads were visible. With one final effort, Tegryn hardened the mounds of earth into rock, completely encasing the witches in three giant stalagmites. They struggled to get free but it was no use - they were totally trapped.

Breathing a huge sigh, he opened his eyes.

"Wow!" Mirta gasped. "How did you do that? I've never seen you do anything like that before."

"I don't know." Tegryn replied. "I just... did it. It's as though I had some of connection with the earth. Wierd." He laughed as he admired his handiwork. "I know this sound strange, but this brings back some very happy memories for me." he said to Mirta.

"Eh? I don't understand."

"Just after I first came here, those three attacked me in my dreams but I was somehow able to fight back, with a bit of help from Piff I think. It ended up with these three trapped just like they are now, and it was then that I was finally able to tell Musa how I really felt about her... isn't that right Darcy?"

The only response the dark witch could come up was a snarl.

"Aww - if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous!"

"ENOUGH!" Kaiser bellowed - he obviously didn't appreciate this show very much. "You bunch of fools, beaten by these weaklings!" he yelled at Icy and the others. "I'll guess if you want something done properly, you gotta do it yourself!" 


	26. Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Kaiser squared up to Tegryn and Mirta. "Well, you've got your wish - you've got me all to yourselves, no thanks to those incompetant idiots over there." he said, motioning towards the trapped witches behind him. "So tell me - how do you propose to get this sceptre off me?"

"Any way we can." came Tegryn's determined reply.

"Hmmm... I've got a better idea. Why don't the two of you walk away, and I'll promise not to hurt you when I finally conquer this wretched realm."

"You really think we're gonna let you get away after what you did to our friend Layla? No way!"

Kaiser erupted into laughter. "Still looking for revenge? Hah! If it's revenge you want, why not get revenge for yourself? The way I had you crying like a baby really was pathetic!"

"Why you!" Tegryn snarled as Mirta desperately held him back.

"Come on Teggy, don't rise to him. He's only doing it to make you angry!"

"Yes Teggy-Weggy, you listen to your little girlfriend." Kaiser taunted, highly amused by what he saw. "And don't worry about your precious Musa - I'll make sure she's well-loved after I've destroyed you!"

That was the final straw.

"That's it!" Tegryn yelled as he unleashed a trio of Rage Blasts at Kaiser, who easily blocked the first two with the Celestial Sceptre before effortlessly brushing the third one aside with a flick of his wrist. Tegryn and Mirta looked up in astonishment as the bright white bolt of energy vanished into the sky with a glint.

"Hmph. Well that was frightening." Kaiser said sarcastically. "Got any more party tricks up your sleeve?"

"Damn it!" said Tegryn. "What are we supposed to do?"

"We've got to get that sceptre out of his hands. It's our only chance. I have an idea."

Kaiser tapped his foot impatiently. "Ahem! When you two have quite finished chatting, I have a little something for you." With that, he pointed the sceptre at them. An immense golden bolt shot out from it towards the two friends.

"Look out!" Tegryn yelled as he shoved Mirta out of the way before the blast hit him. Luckily for Tegryn, he managed to protect himself with his shield spell, but the powerful blast was still enough to send him skidding backwards, leaving a large skid mark in the ground as he went.

"Did you enjoy that? Here, have some more!"

Kaiser fired more lightning-quick blasts at him, too quick for him to dodge. Although he was able to block the first, the second knocked him off-balance and the third hit him square in the stomach with sickening force. He crashed to the ground in a heap, winded and struggling to catch his breath.

Kaiser looked on smugly.

"Heh. Looks like you've got him beaten, brother." a familiar voice whispered behind him.

"Darcy? So you managed to get free - that's good." he replied, not bothering to look back.

"You know something? It would be beneath you to finish him off with the sceptre. Why not give it to me and prove how strong you really are by ending this with your own magic?"

"Yes... that would be a most satisfying end to an already great day." he said holding out the sceptre for Darcy to take.

"Now Teggy!" Mirta yelled.

"What!" yelled Kaiser in surprise as the Celestial Sceptre started to float past him, helped along by Tegryn's telekinesis. "Darcy, what are you doing?"

He turned around to see Darcy's image fizzle away, and the three witches still held fast in their rocky cages. He growled and glared at Mirta, who smiled nervously back at him, before holding out his hand. The sceptre stopped where it was, halfway between Kaiser and Tegryn as they engaged in a telekinetic tug-of-war in a bid to grab the sceptre for themselves. Tegryn grunted as he struggled to hold on against Kaiser's superior strength.

"Hah! This is gonna be too easy!"

"Shut up... I'm holding on pretty well here, aren't I?"

"Yes, but how long can you keep this up? Perhaps this will loosen your grip."

Kaiser fired off another magic bolt into Tegryn's body, which sent him flying and forced him to release his invisible hold on the sceptre, allowing Kaiser to reclaim it. He turned around to face the witches and held the sceptre up. As it started to glow, the rocks that encased them slowly began to crumble until they were finally able to step away.

"And as for you, you pesky little half-witch," he said angrily as he turned and glared at Mirta. "You're really starting to annoy me now... but I really don't like picking on weaker witches, so instead I'm giving you a grandstand seat."

Out of nowhere, a force bubble appeared around Mirta, completely trapping her. She screamed frantically and thumped the sphere as it rose up a few metres off the ground.

"There - that's better." he said smugly to Tegryn. "And now that little irritation's out of the way, let's see how well you do against all four of us!" 


	27. Soul Drain

Mirta looked on anxiously from her bubble prison as Kaiser and the witches advanced menacingly on Tegryn. If only there was some way she could help - but she was completely helpless while she was trapped. There was no way she could force her way out - the magic holding her was too powerful, and she knew full well she could hurt herself if she tried blasting her way to freedom. She tried desperately to think up an escape plan, but came up with nothing - her only hope was that Tegryn would somehow be able to break her out.

A million thoughts were also racing through Tegryn's head, and none of them were particularly good. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, and his ribs and stomach throbbed from the beating he had just received. He was heavily outnumbered with little hope of victory - he would have enough trouble facing just one of them, but all four of them together?

Together? A small smile crept onto his face - he had just had an idea. It wasn't much of an idea, but his options were pretty thin on the ground right now.

Kaiser stepped forward, with the Trix lurking behind him in their typically sinister manner.

"So... still fancy your chances? You know, you really should've let us walk away when you had the chance - at least then you'd live to spend some more time with your darling girlfriend before I conquered this realm... but no, you had to be all brave and heroic, didn't you? Your stupidity has sealed your doom."

"I'm not afraid of you." Tegryn bravely replied, doing his best to look unimpressed by Kaiser's words.

Kaiser was astounded by this response. "You're not afraid of me? YOU'RE not afraid of ME? Is your memory really that bad? Have you forgotten what happened last time we met?"

Tegryn gave a little shudder.

"Oh, so you do remember then. Well, just in case your memory's gone a little hazy, let me refresh it for you." A eerie blue glow suddenly surrounded Kaiser's hands. "And just to make sure you don't forget, have a double helping from me! FEAR FACTOR!"

The dark blue flash erupted from his hands and streaked towards Tegryn, who made no attempt to dodge it. Instead, he raised his hands together in front of him and slowly drew them apart, revealing a large shimmering white disc. The Fear Factor spell slammed into Tegryn's Magic Mirror, which bounced it straight back in Kaiser's direction. His look of malice quickly gave way to a look of horror as he saw what was happening, and he desperately flung himself onto the ground to avoid it. The dark magic shot over his head and straight towards the witches. Darcy tried her best to avoid it but the spell glanced off her. Icy and Stormy weren't so lucky, and Kaiser's magic hit them head on.

The three girls looked at each other, bewildered. Then, they erupted into a frenzy of fright and panic as their worst fears slowly materialised in front of them.

"No! NOOO! Get 'em off me!" Icy screamed.

"There's too many! They're all around us!" Stormy shouted.

"Quick - let's get out of here!"

Kaiser looked on in disgust as the three of them sprinted away out of Alfea's main gate, cowering in the face of some unseen enemy. Mirta clapped her hands in delight.

"Yes, that's it! Teggy, you did it! Now finish this creep off!"

Kaiser looked up at her. "You! Shut the hell up NOW!"

"You gonna make me?"

"Yes." The surface of the bubble holding Mirta captive suddenly crackled with energy, and Mirta screamed in pain as that energy was sent jolting through her body.

"Kaiser!" Tegryn bellowed as loud as his injured ribs would allow him. "You really enjoy picking on girls, don't you?"

"Why, yes I do! The reaction I get from them is most enjoyable."

"You're nothing but a stinking coward!"

Kaiser's face darkened at these words.

"What did you call me?"

"A coward. A lousy, stinking, pathetic little coward - that's all you are, with or without that sceptre."

"Really?" Kaiser replied, barely able to contain the ball of rage that was welling up inside him. "I'm surprised you still have the energy to insult me like this after the pummelling I've been giving you. No matter - you'll soon grow weary of it."

"I doubt it."

"I beg to differ." Kaiser raised the Celestial Sceptre and pointed it at Tegryn. "You haven't even begun to see the power I now hold. I can do much, much more than just batter you into submission. I'll soon have you bowing before me."

"Oh yeah? And how are gonna do that?"

An evil smile broke out across Kaiser's face. "You just had to ask, didn't you? Allow me to demonstrate!" A faint, sinister glow suddenly appeared from the Celestial Sceptre. "It's time for you to experience the Soul Drain!"

A narrow beam shot out from the sceptre and engulfed Tegryn. He gasped at this wierd sensation - it felt as though it was pulling at him gently but forcefully. He tried to get away, but he powerless to move, as slowly but surely he felt his body becoming more and more tired. He soon realised what was happening - Kaiser was sucking the of energy out of his body, feasting on his spirit like some bloodthirsty vampire. Tegryn struggled to fight it, but it was no use. Exhausted, he slumped to his knees, barely able to stay conscious.

"Goodnight Tegryn... UNpleasant dreams!"

Tegryn collapsed to the ground, the whole world around him crashing in and out of darkness as he tried desperately to stay awake. Almost all the energy had been stripped away from him, and he lay defeated and helpless in front of Kaiser. He raised the sceptre, which glowed brighter and brighter as he prepared to land the final blow. 


	28. A Very Welcome Return

Kaiser looked up at Mirta, totally drunk on the power that his imminent victory was about to bring him.

"So half-witch, how should I finish him - quickly or slowly?"

Mirta looked on, tears welling in her eyes as she watched her friend on the verge of destruction, but then she glimpsed something out of the corner of her eye. She looked over and smiled as she recognised a very welcome sight speeding towards them as fast as her wings could carry her. Kaiser, slightly bemused by her apparant lack of concern, also looked over and was shocked by what he saw.

"Layla? But how can that be? You should be..." He stopped in mid-sentence, turned to Mirta and laughed. "ANOTHER illusion? Do you really expect me to believe that she's not asleep with the others in there? Honestly, this is your worst effort yet!"

His bragging was cut short by a sharp pain in his hand as Layla kicked the sceptre out of his grasp, before catching it in mid-air and landing elegantly in front of them as only a princess could.

"You're here. But how? Why aren't you..."

"Why aren't in my room crying? I hate to break it to you, but I'm tougher than that."

"But I don't understand."

"Don't understand what? That I'm standing up to you instead of cowering away? Is that how you see all women? Cos if it is, you're a lot more pathetic than I thought."

She looked around at Mirta trapped in the force bubble and Tegryn sprawled out in front of her. "What have you done to them?"

"It serves them right for getting in my way - and the same thing will happen to you if you don't give me my sceptre."

"You want this? You really want this? Fine - have it!" Layla yelled as she pointed the sceptre at Kaiser and fired off a shot, hitting him with tremendous force.

"Man, that felt good!" she said as she watched Kaiser hit the floor. "But Mirta - where are the others?"

"He cast a sleeping spell on the entire school. You have to wake them up, quick!"

"A sleeping spell? Oh, Ortensia taught me the counter-spell to this one... now how does it go?" She racked her brains trying hard to remember before clicking her fingers in triumph. "Aha! That's it, now I remember!" She raised the sceptre above her head and prepared to cast the spell... but Kaiser had other ideas.

"Oh no you don't!" he said as he yanked the sceptre out of her hands and into his own using his telekinetic powers. He stood up, cackling evilly. "Now THIS is gonna be fun!"

* * *

Meanwhile in the forest, the three witches were still sprinting away from their imaginary demons, reeling from the effects of the Fear Factor spell. Well, Icy and Stormy were anyway - Darcy on the other hand was finding that the effects were quickly starting to wear off.

"Wait!" she stopped and yelled at her sisters, but it was no use - they were still under the influence of Kaiser's backfired attack and were soon out of sight. Darcy leant up against a nearby tree and tried to catch her breath. As powerful as she was, she wasn't used to such hard physical exercise. After all, why should she? Flying and portals are a much easier way for a witch to get from A to B, and besides, sprinting in heels is difficult at the best of times.

She looked around her - trees, trees and more trees - pretty standard for a forest, so she decided to get a better view. As soon as she was above the treetops, she soon saw that she was about a mile or so from Alfea, and set off to rejoin her brother.

* * *

Back at Alfea, Layla was having a tough time, using all her acrobatic skills to avoid Kaiser's volley of attacks, who was getting more and more frustrated with each near-miss.

"Stay still, damn it!" he yelled. "You're only making it harder on yourself."

"Hard? This is nothing compared to what you've already put me through, and I'm much stronger for it." Layla said as she fluttered above his head. "You might've thought you beat me by playing me like that, but you're gonna find out it's YOU who'll get played!"

"Really? Well let's see how easy you find this!" Kaiser waved the sceptre and fired yet another shot at Layla - except this wasn't just one shot but many, a volley of smaller shots spread over a wide area. Layla gymnastically arched her back to avoid the first, ducked to easily avoid the second, then performed a rather unbelievable mid-air splits to leapfrog the third. Unfortunately thats where her luck ended, as the fourth caught her painfully on the shoulder, before she was finally floored by the last shot slamming into her back.

Layla fell to the ground in a heap. Kaiser walked up behind her with a wicked glint in his eye. "My my my, you certainly have a lot of energy, babe... but can soon be remedied!"

With that, he pointed the sceptre at Layla and hit her hard from behind with his Soul Drain attack. Soon, she was on her knees, totally helpless and unable to stop Kaiser consuming her life force.

Mirta looked on, getting more and more distraught by what she saw, completely unaware that the markings on the previously-useless lump of wood tucked into her belt were giving off a very faint glow - the Spirit Rod was slowly beginning to awaken. 


	29. Kaiser's Cruelty

Things were looking very bleak for the good guys. Layla was at the mercy of Kaiser's Soul Drain, Tegryn was slowly recovering but still barely able to move, and Mirta was trapped in the force bubble suspended above the ground, only able to watch helplessly as Kaiser toyed with her two friends.

Without warning, Kaiser stopped his attack on Layla.

"No gorgeous, I don't you passing out on me just yet. That just won't do, not for what I've got planned."

"What... are you talking about?"

"Don't get me wrong, I WILL be disposing of you very soon - trouble is, I have a rather nice finale lined up for you two but my audience just isn't big enough right now. I think we have room for one more special guest... now where is she?"

He closed his eyes and concentrated as he searched for his so-called special guest. "Ah, there she is - please, come and join us!"

A bright ball of light suddenly appeared behind him and then, in a flash, there was Musa, suspended in mid-air, still sleeping. Kaiser clicked his fingers, and she slowly woke up from her slumber. She blinked as she took in her new surroundings, and then shuddered as she saw Mirta trapped, a weakened and exhausted Layla kneeling, and Tegryn still laying on the ground.

"Teggy!"

Tegryn looked up wearily to see his love floating powerless in front of him.

"Musa?"

Kaiser chuckled and turned towards her. "I'm glad you're awake - I wouldn't want you to miss THIS."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to finish everyone here off... and guess what? I'm going to start by crushing your darling Tegryn!"

"No! Don't! Please!"

"Sorry sweetheart, my mind's made up." Kaiser turned his back on her and faced Tegryn. He held the Celestial Sceptre up in front of him, and it began to glow its now-familiar golden glow, brighter and brighter as Kaiser gathered a massive amount of energy for the final blow.

Tegryn looked up at him, into those sinister eyes of his that were looking down on him in maniacal glee. Fear began to invade every fibre of Tegryn's being as he realised - this was it. Kaiser looked at Tegryn one last time...

...then turned around and faced Musa again. Tegryn's fear turned to sheer horror as he realised what his real plans were.

"No!" he shouted, but it was useless as Kaiser launched his attack on Musa. Time seemed to move in slow-motion as the deadly beam bore down on its helpless target before slamming into her with sickening force, driving her along the ground and ploughing a huge furrow as it went.

Kaiser's cruel, deranged laughter rang throughout the school as Musa crashed to the floor and lay chillingly still.

"Ha! I said I would destroy you Tegryn, and if that didn't shatter you into a million pieces, I don't know what will!"

"You MONSTER!" Layla snarled. "Why did you do that?"

"Simple... because I could. So Tegryn - did you enjoy that?"

Tegryn said nothing. Why did Musa have to be hurt like that? She didn't deserve it. She had nothing to do with this. Every ounce of his being was being consumed by anger and hatred, but out of that anger he could feel a new energy forming within him, bathing his weary muscles, revitalising his spirit. Slowly, he got up.

Kaiser looked quite amazed at this. "Oh? Still able to stand so soon after I hit you with my Soul Drain? I am impressed."

Tegryn looked at him, seething with rage. "You're going to pay a million times for doing that to my Musa!" he said slowly. "I'm gonna make you sorry you ever set foot in Majix."

"Really? And how do you propose to do that? We've already seen how useless your magic attacks are against me."

"Then I'll just have to beat you the old-fashioned way."

"The old-fashioned way? I have no idea what you're talking about, but it's bound to be as useless as you. Well then, let's see just how well you've recovered!"

With that, Kaiser fired off a volley of shots from the sceptre. Tegryn dodged them, first one way then the other, edging ever closer to his hated enemy until finally he was in touching distance. Kaiser swung the Celestial Sceptre at him, but Tegryn was easily able to duck out of the way - that was just the opening he was looking for, the opening through which he could launch into his favourite triple-combination attack. A hard right hook to Kaiser's face was soon followed by a left elbow to the ribs, before swinging around to finish off with a powerful uppercut to the jaw.

Kaiser staggered backwards, reeling from this unexpected non-magical attack... but Tegryn wasn't finished yet. Gathering all his powers, he summoned a Rage Blast that was bigger, more powerful and more intense than he had ever done before, and one that the startled and dazed Kaiser was unable to stop. The sheer ferocity of Tegryn's attack sent him flying across the courtyard and crashing into a faraway wall with such force, it would have crushed any ordinary man.

Up in her bubble, Mirta cheered at what looked like the final blow, still unaware that her Spirit Rod was slowly beginning to glow ever brighter.

Back on the ground, Tegryn stood still, breathing heavily, looking over at Kaiser at the far end of the courtyard as he groggily picked himself up, still clinging onto the Celestial Sceptre. Looking back at Tegryn, the evil warlock felt his swollen bloodied face, spat out a loose tooth... and vanished.

Tegryn gasped, then shuddered as a horribly familiar voice came from behind him.

"You're mine!"

He span around, but was too slow to react as Kaiser grabbed him by the throat. Tegryn yelled in agony as what felt like a million volts were sent coursingthrough his body, until eventually he passed out from the pain. Kaiser glared at his victim as he hung limply from his hand, before flinging him over next to Layla like a rag doll, where he landed heavily face-first into the ground.

Kaiser laughed as he saw the huge cut that had opened up on Tegryn's forehead.

"That'll teach you to ruin such a beautiful face - and now, it truly is the end for both of you." 


	30. Mirta's Spiritual Awakening

Kaiser towered over Layla and the unconscious Tegryn. 

"Playtime's over, and it'll soon be time for me to leave this place, claim the ultimate power of all the pieces of the Codex and reign supreme, alone and unopposed. Got any last words, Layla my dear?"

Layla said nothing at first - she was still too upset at what that horrible, spiteful man had done to Musa and Tegryn. But then she spotted a lone figure lurking in the shadows, walking up behind behind Kaiser, and she thought up a plan, quick.

"What do you mean, you'll reign alone and unopposed?"

"Don't you understand English? It means I will be the supreme ruler of this realm and everything in it, with no equals."

"But what about Darcy and the others? Aren't you going to share your power with them?"

"Those three? They may still come in handy in helping me claim my prize, but I'll dispose of them when they've outlived their usefulness, when they least expect it!"

"What? You'd destroy your own family?"

"They'd only get in the way. Besides, they've already shown me how pathetic they really are. I'll get rid of them soon enough... but not before I get rid of you lot. In fact, I'm gonna do that right now!" He held the sceptre out in front of him and summoned forth all of its power.

"Send my regards to oblivion!" he yelled as he prepared to strike, but as he prepared to do so, he was hit from behind by a powerful blast of dark magic. Kaiser staggered forwards, and the massive bolt of energy intended for Layla and Tegryn flew harmlessly into the sky.

"You TRAITOR!"

Kaiser span round angrily. "How DARE you... Darcy?"

Darcy glared at her brother. "I heard everything. I knew you were rotten, but no-one... NO-ONE betrays the Trix! You won't be obliterating anyone today, especially not him!" she yelled, pointing at Tegryn.

Kaiser was fuming, and faced off angrily against his sister.

Up above them, Mirta looked on intrigued by this turn of events, when suddenly she became aware of a tingling sensation in her hip. She looked down to see the Spirit Rod glowing fiercely, and, without thinking, took it in her hands. All at once, she felt its energy surging through her.

"Yes!" she gasped in awe as its powers washed through her. "That's it! Now I understand!"

As she grasped the rod, the glow turned into a brilliant shine, bright enough to turn Kaiser and Darcy's attentions away from each other. Grasping the rod, she drove it into the bubble, shattering it instantly, and she landed softly on the ground, staring fiercely with a fire in her eyes at Kaiser whilst Darcy quietly backed off.

"So, you've decided to come and play too." Kaiser said cockily. "This certainly is a nice little collection I'm getting here."

Mirta responded by holding her arms out aloft and shouting "Spiritual Awakening!" She was suddenly enveloped by a soft white aura, which quickly died down to reveal two ghostly white doubles standing either side of her. Pointing at Kaiser, she barked out a single command - "Seize him!"

Without a sound, the doppelgangers sped towards Kaiser. Desperately, he tried to fend them off with shots from the sceptre, but they passed straight through them. They quickly grabbed him by the arms and held him firm, despite his squirming.

Mirta looked up and pointed the Spirit Rod at the sky. A eerie mass of thick grey clouds slowly began to form above Kaiser's head, swirling slowly with an eye in the centre, like a mini-hurricane - the only difference being that the eye of your normal everyday hurricane doesn't glow an intense white like this one did.

"Layla, quick!" she yelled. Layla knew exactly what she was talking about - quickly, she ran up to Kaiser and snatched the sceptre from his hands. Retreating a safe distance, she held the sceptre above her head.

"Time to wake the school up, and this time you're NOT going to stop me! Now how did Ortensia's counter-spell go? Ah yes..."

_"For the good of Alfea, for the whole realm's sake,  
All who sleep, be now awake!"_

The Celestial Sceptre erupted into a shimmering shower of sparks as Layla drove it into the ground. An intense golden ripple sped away from it and filled every inch of the school, waking everyone from their magically induced sleep. Even Tegryn and Musa, who were both laying unconcious on the ground, slowly regained their senses.

In the meantime, Mirta's spell was gathering strength. The eye of the cloud was shining so brightly, it cast shadows on the ground. Kaiser squinted as he looked up at it.

"Do you really think a parlour trick like that will impress me, half-witch?" he growled, straining to break free from the clutches of Mirta's doubles.

"A parlour trick? You really think these are parlour tricks? Then it's time you learned the true power of the Spirit Rod - CLOUD BURST!"

At Mirta's command, a mighty bolt of magical energy shot out from the cloudmass and smashed into Kaiser, sending out a massive explosion that rocked the school, and kicking up a huge, dense cloud of dust.

* * *

Back in the Dining Hall, the pupils and staff of Alfea were slowly waking up. 

"Oh man, what happened?" groaned Bloom.

"Yeah, and what happened to my hair?" cried Stella, trying desperately to clean the pasta sauce out of her golden locks.

"Hey!" said Anyuna, cuddling a crying Polli in an effort to comfort her. "Where's Teggy? And Musa and Mirta - where are they?"

But before anyone could answer her, the hall was rocked by the explosion outside, shaking everything inside.

"Yow! What was that?"

"That came from the courtyard - come on!"

* * *

Back in the courtyard, the haze slowly began to clear, revealing Kaiser laying in the middle of a smoking crater, groaning and straining to get up. 

"Urgh... you're really... gonna suffer now - all of you."

"I don't think so." Layla said, pointing the sceptre at him. Suddenly, Kaiser was surrounded by rings of golden light, binding his arms and legs together and suspending him in mid-air.

"Nice trick." he grunted as he struggled in vain to get free. "But how long are you gonna keep that up? You can't keep it going forever, and the longer you keep me like this, the longer I'll have to regain my strength - and believe me, the instant I'm released from this, you're all doomed!"

Layla gulped. "He's right. What are we gonna do?"


	31. A Narrow Victory

"What are WE going to do?" Darcy sneered. "As powerful as you are with that sceptre, you're not in any position to do anything." 

Mirta quickly stood by Layla's side. "You still want the sceptre? You'll have to get through me first!"

Darcy laughed and shook her head. "You've been hanging around with these pixies for too long - it's made your head soft. You really want to get rid of him?"

Mirta nervously nodded.

"Then our best option is to send him to Limbo - but only witches can do that."

"Send him to Limbo? But... don't we need THREE witches to do that?"

"Unfortunately, yes, but I have no idea where my sisters are. I guess we'll have to try it on our own, although I doubt a weakling like you is up to it."

Mirta waved the Spirit Rod at Darcy. "Weakling! You want some of this too?"

"Hey cool it you two!" Layla shouted.

Mirta took a deep breath. "Okay. What do I have to do?"

"Just follow me - and try not to mess it up."

The two witches stood either side of Kaiser and held their arms up. They closed their eyes and concentrated - they both knew that summoning a portal to Limbo could take every ounce of energy they had. At first nothing happened, but then a deep pink swirl of energy began to form around Kaiser, who remained helpless in the centre.

Meanwhile, Tegryn blearily opened his eyes and lifted his heavy head. "Musa," he murmered, wiping the blood that was gently trickling down his face from the chasm that had formed an ugly red grin on his forehead. He looked over to see Musa laying a hundred yards away, groaning weakly in pain. He sat up and looked around to see Darcy, Mirta and Layla standing around Kaiser.

_'Darcy?'_ he thought to himself. _'What's SHE doing here. Is she... helping us? Man, I must've really hit my head on the way down. What the hell's going on?'_

Using all his strength, he shakily tried to stand up and walk over to Musa, but he was still too weak from Kaiser's assault and collapsed on the ground.

Darcy gritted her teeth under the intense strain, and beads of sweat began to trickle down Mirta's forehead. Try as hard as they might, they couldn't quite succeed in opening the gateway, and it soon vanished.

"Hah! I knew it!" Kaiser taunted. "You're failures, all of you!"

"It's no good," Mirta said, panting. "We need a third witch."

_'A third witch?'_ thought Tegryn. Once again, he slowly stood up, this time with a lot more success, and stumbled his way rather unsteadily over to them.

"What are you doing?" he asked Mirta. "And what's she doing here?"

"Ooh goody, you're awake!" said Mirta happily. "I'll explain all this later. Right now, we're trying to open a portal to send this creep into Limbo, but we need three witches to do it."

"Well then maybe I can help."

"You idiot - didn't you just hear what Mirta said?" Darcy snapped.

"You seem to be forgetting something Darcy - the source of my magic... is YOU!" Tegryn said breathlessly. "Right now, I'm the nearest thing you've got to a third witch. Now tell me what I have to do."

Darcy grunted. "I suppose you'll have to do. Honestly, I'm used to working with REAL witches, not you two wannabes. Just follow my lead."

The three of them stood in a circle around Kaiser and focused their energies on opening the portal. Tegryn grimaced - he was tired enough as it was, and now he was using up his very last reserves of strength in this last ditch effort to get rid of Kaiser once and for all. After all the horrible things he had done to Layla and now to his darling Musa, it would be well worth it. Sure enough, the swirl of energy soon reappeared.

Darcy shouted over to Layla. "When I tell you, release Kaiser - but not before. You got that, pixie?"

Layla nodded.

The magenta glow grew more and more intense until suddenly a vast portal opened up beneath Kaiser.

"NOW!"

Layla released her hold on Kaiser, and watched with great satisfaction as he was slowly pulled into the vortex, yelling all kinds of obscenities and threats as he went.

"You seemed to think it was funny playing me, but now it's my turn - YOU'RE DUMPED!" she said, waving at him as he disappeared with the portal closing up after him. And not a moment too soon neither, as Tegryn collapsed once again from his efforts.

"Teggy!" Mirta cried as she and Layla went to help him up, as Darcy looked on quietly.

"Musa. Where's Musa?"

"Come on, we'll take you." said Layla as she and Mirta lifted his arms over their shoulders and helped him over to where she lay. She heard their footsteps shuffling towards her, and opened her eyes wearily.

"Hey babe." she said quietly, trying her best to smile despite the major discomfort she was in.

"Musie. Are you okay?"

She groaned. "I've felt better."

Slowly, Layla and Mirta lowered him down. Tegryn knelt down beside her and cradled her head in his arms.

"Oh my gosh. Musa, what happened?" Musa and Tegryn looked up to see Bloom and the others racing over to them from the school. "Who did this?"

"It was Kaiser." Mirta said angrily. "That creep hurt Musa just to get at Teggy. Oh, that reminds me... Darcy?"

She looked around to see Darcy walking away. "What do you want now, pipsqueak?" she said, turning her head slightly and looking at her out of the corner of her eye.

"I just wanted to say... thank you."

"Yeah," said Layla as she joined her friend. "We couldn't have beaten Kaiser without you."

Darcy snorted. "Don't think for a minute that makes us friends, 'cos we're not, okay? And whatever you do, don't tell Icy or Stormy about any of this neither - if they find out about me helping you pixies out, I'll never live it down."

"Okay," Mirta said. "You have our word on that."

Musa looked into Tegryn's eyes. "Did we win?"

"Yeah, just about!" he said, gently brushing her bruised cheek with his tired fingers.

She smiled. "My hero!"

"No - Layla and Mirta are the real heroes here. They're the one's who had to put their past experiences behind them - you know, Mirta had all those run-ins with those witches when she was at Cloud Tower, and Layla facing up to Kaiser like that. Anyway, they're the ones who put him away. But me... I was totally beaten. I couldn't stop him from hurting you. I couldn't protect you."

"Shh. You're here now. That's all that matters." Musa said, placing her fingers wearily on his lips. "We're together now... together..." Her voice trailed away as she smiled, gave out a soft sigh and closed her eyes.

Tegryn looked at her tenderly for a moment - she looked so beautiful laying there in his arms, so lovely, so peaceful... but then a tiny shred of worry crept into the back of his mind.

"Musa? MUSA?"


	32. The Calm After The Storm

Panic started to set into Tegryn as he looked down at Musa's face. Why wasn't she responding? Why isn't she looking back at him? Surely she can't be... you know what, could she? He didn't go through all that just to lose her now.

"Musa? Come on baby, don't do this to me. You can't leave me, not like this!"

Musa sighed softly and snuggled up to him.

Tegryn breathed a massive sigh of relief. "Phew! Girl, you had me worried there!"

"Teggy, is she alright?" Bloom asked.

"Yeah, I think she's just exhausted, on top of everything else. That creep Kaiser gave her quite a battering."

"She'll be fine - us music fairies are tougher than you think." said Mimi.

"Yeah, music and sound will always be around!" Nini added, grinning.

At that point, the large crowd that had gathered around Musa parted, as Faragonda and Griselda made their way to the centre.

"Oh dear," Faragonda said with more than a little concern for her pupil. "She looks in a bad way. Come on, get her to Ofelia on the double!"

Tegryn nodded and attempted to pick her up, with not much success.

"Hey, take it easy Teggy," said Mirta. "You're still majorly exhausted from that battle!"

"Yes, and it seems like it was quite a battle too!" said Griselda as she surveyed the craters, troughs and debris strewn all over the courtyard. "Just look at all this damage. It'll take ages to put this right!"

"Yeah, maybe." said Mirta, blushing slightly as she remembered that SHE was the one responsible for that huge smoking crater. Then she remembered something else. "Or maybe not! Hey Teggy, do remember that thing you did when you trapped those witches?"

"Hmm? Oh that, yes."

"What thing? What are you talking about?" Griselda asked.

"Oh, it was so cool." Mirta said enthusiastically. "He, like, trapped them by making the ground rise up and surround them, and then he made it hard like rock. They couldn't move!"

Stella chuckled. "And here I was thinking he only made the earth move for Musa!"

Anyuna went over to Tegryn and helped him up. Faragonda looked on as he stood very shakily, barely able to stay on his own two feet.

"You too, get yourself to the infirmary for a check-up. You look as though you could do with the rest."

"Honestly Mr Devanallt," Griselda scolded him. "You just can't help getting into these scrapes - first your ex gives you a black eye and now this? Your grades are bad enough as they are!"

Tegryn looked at Griselda with a mystified look on his face, which got even more mystified when she started laughing. "I was only joking! It seems you, Mirta and Layla have done a very good job here. Now, do as the principal tells you and go to Ofelia!"

Tegryn smiled to himself as he followed Musa's stretcher, helped by Anyuna (who was more than happy to have him put his arm around her) and Layla. Griselda's joke (or attempted joke) was just what this weary soul needed right now - that, and a good night's sleep. But not before a nice cup of tea. And a giant bar of chocolate wouldn't go amiss neither. And of course, no day would be complete without a goodnight kiss from the love of his life, but he correctly guessed he'll have to make do without that today.

* * *

A few hours later, and Tegryn was fast asleep, just as he had been the instant his head hit the pillow of that hospital bed. It was so comfortable, like laying on a soft fluffy cloud that had been sent down from heaven itself. And there was something else too - he could feel something soft and warm touching him, holding his hand. It felt so nice, so he instictively squeezed the hand gently with his own. He could also feel something stroking his head softly - it felt so soothing.

But despite all this comfort, inside he was feeling anything but snug and cosy. In his mind, that awful moment when Kaiser attacked Musa was playing over and over again, repeating itself as though it was trying to etch itself permanently onto his memory.

"No... please, don't... don't hurt Musa... MUSA!" he murmered before snapping his eyes open startled just as his mind replayed that terrible split-second again.

He blinked and looked around him. Slowly, the shapes that surrounded him come into focus, and he could see his best buddies the Starz were by his side, with Anyuna nearest to him, smiling sweetly at him and holding his hand. The rest of the Winx girls were also in the room, concerned as always for their friends. Polli, being the sweet little thing that she is, clung on tight to him, giving him plenty of affectionate baby-cuddles and patting his head as though she was trying to be his own little nurse, whilst trying her best to avoid touching the rather nasty-looking gash on his forehead which had been expertly stitched up by Ofelia.

"Yuni?" he said, smiling weakly as he looked up at her.

"How you feeling Teggy?" Anyuna asked.

"Weak. So weak... tired. And my body's aching real bad."

"I'm not surprised - Layla and Mirta told us everything."

"And that tiredness is just the after-effects from that Soul Drain spell." Layla said. "I'm still feeling it too. What a nasty little spell."

"Musa?" he groaned.

"Don't worry Teggy, she's right next to you."

He turned his head slowly - it felt so heavy, even when he was laying down. Now he could see that he and Musa were laying side-by-side in the infirmary, albeit in seperate hospital beds. She was still sleeping, with her left forearm and leg in plaster.

"Oh babe." he said quietly, trying to reach out to her.

"It's alright Teggy, she'll be fine. She has a broken arm and a broken leg, along with some broken ribs and a few bruises." Bloom explained. "It's not quite as bad as it looks."

At that point, nurse Ofelia walked into the room. "Come on girls, it's getting late now - time to be going. You all have classes in the morning."

Bloom and others waved as they left. "Bye Teggy!"

Tegryn continued looking over at Musa for a while, then suddenly slumped forward over the bars on the side of the bed.

"Whoa!" Anyuna shouted as she caught him, only just preventing him from smacking his head. "Come on, you still need to rest. Try and get and some sleep."

"No," he moaned feebly. "I can't sleep."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice." Anyuna said as she tossed a small handful of Dream Dust into his face. She looked on lovingly as he gently drifted back to sleep. "And don't worry about that bad dream you were having before - my Dream Dust protects against nightmares."

"How did you know about that nightmare?"

"What, apart from you talking in your sleep just now? Don't forget, I'm a dream fairy - I can see your dreams."

At that moment, Layla returned. "Is Piff in here?" she asked quietly, before spotting her, curled up alseep at the foot of Musa's bed. As she picked her up, she looked over at Tegryn and Anyuna.

"Thank you Yuni," he whispered whilst yawning. "You've always been so good to me. If there's anything... I... can do..."

"Sweet dreams Teggy." Anyuna said as she, quite without thinking, kissed him affectionately on the forehead. But just as she did so, she opened her eyes in shock as she realised exactly what she was doing. Blushing slightly, she left the room quickly, leaving Charlotte, Mimi and Nini standing and looking rather confused.

"Hey, do you think she's okay?" Mimi asked Charlotte.

"Yeah - she's probably just upset over seeing Teggy and Musa in such bad shape." 


	33. A Kiss Too Far?

Anyuna ran straight into her room and shut the door behind her, before picking up a photo from her bedside cabinet and staring at it fondly - it was a picture of her, Tegryn and the other Starz together, all smiling happily and hugging each other without a care in the world. She sighed as a small tear welled up in her eye. 

"You asked me if there was anything you could do for me." she said quietly to herself. "There is something, but I daren't ask it of you - love me."

Just then, she heard a gentle knock at her door.

"Yuni?" a hushed voice whispered from outside. "It's me, Layla. Can I come in?"

She opened the door and let her in.

"Oh Layla, why on Majix did I do that?" she said, trying her best not to burst into tears.

"I was just going to ask you that. I thought you were going to try and keep a lid on your crush."

"I try but... it's just so difficult. I mean, I tried to avoid him at lunch today, but instead I end up sitting right opposite him where I can't help looking at him. I try to keep away from him, but we just end up getting closer. I try to stop thinking about him... but I can't."

"Oh dear. Well, maybe this'll help take your mind off him." she said, handing Anyuna a small box.

"For me?"

"Well, you did ask me to get you something nice from back home!"

"Aww thanks! Can I open it now?"

"Of course, unless you want to wait a few months for your birthday!"

Taken over by curiousity, Anyuna hurried opened the package and took out a glass ball mounted on an ornate silver base. Inside, a small blob of a shimmering liquid was moving around, changing colour from a pearl-like pink to a deep blue as it morphed into all sorts of shapes.

"Cool huh? It's a morphix ball."

"It's beautiful." Anyuna gasped in amazement as it formed into the shape of a dolphin. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it."

"And look at the bottom."

She did as she was told. A short message was etched on the bottom of the base

_To my dear friend Anyuna._

_If you're feeling down or lonely, remember your friends  
And you'll remember that you'll never be alone._

_Layla_

"I don't know what to say, I really don't. I'm so lucky to have a friend like you."

"Well, you came through for me when I was feeling down. You were there with those kind words of yours when I needed it most."

"Just like you are now for me." Anyuna said as she set her present down next to the photo and gazed happily at them both.

"Yuni, I hate to change the subject but I gotta ask you - why did you kiss Teggy like that just now?"

Anyuna shook her head gently. "I don't know, I just didn't think. I just... saw him lying there so sad and ill-looking and I felt like I had to, you know, to try and make him feel better."

"Well it's lucky for you he was half-asleep from your Dream Dust. If he figures out how you really feel about him, you know it'll totally ruin your friendship with him, and maybe everyone else too."

"I know, don't remind me." she said, thumping her bed in frustration. "Argh! Why am I doing this to myself Layla? What am I gonna do?"

"I've already told you - you have to try and bury your feelings for him, for your own good."

"But I can't. It's too difficult." Anyuna cried. "Isn't there some sort of magic we could use?"

"Maybe there's something in the library. If we have some free time, we can go and look it up. I wouldn't get your hopes up though - I get the feeling that sort of thing isn't the sort of magic a fairy would use, if you know what I mean."

"How about Amore? Maybe she can help."

"I wouldn't have thought so. Her speciality is making people fall IN love, not out of it."

Anyuna buried her head in her hands and wept. "This is hopeless! I don't want to give up on him. I love him! I LOVE HIM!"

"Shh, keep your voice down will you? You don't want the whole school knowing about this, do you?"

Anyuna sniffed and breathed a heavy sigh. "You're right, as always. I've got to play this smart. I'm just glad I can share this with someone. Thank you."

Layla gave her young friend a comforting hug. "Don't worry Yuni, we'll get through this together, okay? You're not on your own. Say, you want me to crash here with you tonight?"

Anyuna smiled. "A sleepover? Heh, sounds cool... but, um, not tonight, okay? I think I want to be alone for now. Is that okay?"

"Course it is. Get some rest and hopefully you'll feel better in the morning. We're all gonna visit Teggy and Musa before classes tomorrow, so I'll see you then!" And with that, Layla slipped out of the room.

Anyuna went over to her window and stared sadly out at the moonlit courtyard, which still bore its massive scars from the earlier battle. She concentrated on one scar in particular which lead right up to the wall below her - it was the after-effects of Tegryn's attack on Kaiser. How typical - she was doing her best to put him out of her mind, and yet here's a permenant reminder of him right under her pretty little nose.

She sighed a deep, despairing sigh. Outside, everything was calm... but inside, the poor girl was in turmoil.


	34. Into The Witches' Den

The sun shine gently on the slopes of Panda Mountain. That beautiful just-rained smell hung in the air, thanks to the light shower that had fallen a couple of hours before. It was a typically busy day in An-Chuan as the village-folk went about their daily business - farmers were out farming, traders were trading, teachers were teaching. Yes, the village was alive with its usual hustle and bustle. 

Tegryn's sister Mei had a job of her own to do. It was almost a week since Tegryn's surprise visit, and since then she'd been trying to find Pui Yin to talk to her, just as her brother had asked. Unfortunately, she had had no luck so far - Pui Yin was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she had left the village for a while? After all, she was rather upset by the whole affair, so it wouldn't surprise her.

Mei was wrong.

Pui Yin had in fact been keeping tabs on Mei, shadowing her every move, trying to get some clues so she could find out where Tegryn was now living and what his real connection is with Musa and the other 'witches'.

But Mei was determined to find Pui Yin, and so had left her house half an hour early to wait patiently outside her door. Sure enough, no sooner had she arrived, Pui Yin stepped outside ready to carry out her own day's work.

"Pui Yin! I'm so glad I found you at last!"

Pui Yin gulped when she saw Mei walking towards her.

"Where have you been Pui? I've been trying to catch up with you all week. Have you been out of the village?"

"Erm, out of the village, yes. I, you know, just wanted some time away after what happened."

"That's actually what I need to talk to you about. I want to talk to you about my brother. I guess you still love him."

"I do, but I don't understand - why doesn't he love me any more?"

"He does love you as a friend..."

"No, I mean why doesn't he LOVE me? Why did he leave me for this Musa girl?"

"When he got lost all those years ago, he tried so hard to find his way back to you but he couldn't. After a year or two, he was on the other side of the world and he had given up all hope of ever seeing you again. It upset him greatly at first, but he accepted it reluctantly and moved on. Soon after that Musa saved his life, and they quickly fell in love."

"But we were so in love. How could he just turn his back on me? How could he hate me like this?"

"He doesn't hate you, he still wants to be friends - that's why he's asked me to talk with you. He hated having to fight you. He felt bad enough hurting you emotionally, the thought of hurting you physically as well made him feel sick. That's why he held back against you in the tournament. If he was facing anyone else, they would've been flat on their back in five seconds. Please, don't think that he hates you."

"So why is this 'Musa' girl so special? What's she got that I haven't?"

"She's a... no, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Believe what? Come on, tell me. Is she a witc..."

But before Pui Yin could finish her question, the two girls were interrupted.

"Mei! Mei! Over here!"

They turned around to see who was shouting. Mei's eyes lit up when she saw who it was.

"Mirta!"

She ran forward and gave her a hug, before looking over at her companion - a grand, kind looking old lady with grey bouffant-style hair and round spectacles.

"Let me introduce you. Mei, this is Principal Faragonda, the head of the school we attend. Ms Faragonda, this is Teggy's sister Mei."

"Oh! Welcome to our village Principal Faragonda."

"Thank you. I'm very pleased to meet you dear, I've heard so much about you. I just wish I could be here in more pleasant circumstances."

"Oh? how do you mean?"

"There was an incident at the school yesterday, and both Musa and your brother were hurt."

Pui Yin gasped. "Tegryn's been hurt? Oh no!"

"And who might you be?"

"This is Pui Yin." Mirta said nervously. "Teggy's ex-girlfriend."

"Oh, so you're the one who gave him that black eye?"

Pui Yin blushed slightly.

"So what happened, Principal Faragonda?" Mei asked.

"Please, Ms Faragonda will do. I think it would be better if we discuss this indoors. Is your house nearby? I really should tell your grandmother about this too."

"Of course, it's just this way."

And so Mei led the way to her home. "Grandmother!" she called. "Please come, it's important!"

Jun walked into the room. "Mirta my dear!" she exclaimed happily when she saw her young witch friend. "You're looking well. Have you had the chance to use my present yet?"

"The Spirit Rod? Oh yes, it's awesome! I'll tell you about it later, but we have some news."

"News? I hope it's good."

"I'm afraid not." Faragonda replied. "As I was just telling your grand-daughter, there was an incident at the school yesterday, and Tegryn and Musa were both hurt quite badly."

"Oh my! What happened?"

"There was attack by a group of..."

But before she could finish, Mirta interrupted her.

"I'm sorry Principal, but I'm not sure if you can tell HER this." she said, pointing at Pui Yin.

"Doesn't she know about...?"

"No, only Mei and Jun know. In fact it was Jun who gave me this." she said, patting the Spirit Rod which she kept tucked in her belt.

"Tell me what?" Pui Yin pleaded. "Please, if Tegryn's been hurt, I have to know!"

Ms Faragonda looked thoughtfully at Pui Yin for a moment. "Young lady, I'm going to tell you something very important about us, and Tegryn, and our school... but first you must promise me that you'll never tell anyone about this, ever. The things I'm about to tell you must NEVER leave these four walls. Do I have your word on that?"

Pui Yin thought for a moment. It seems all her waiting was about to pay off - at last she was about to find out where Tegryn was living, and more importantly find out the truth about his new friends.

She nodded. "I promise. You have my word."

"Very well. I am the principal of the Alfea School for Fairies, where they learn all sorts of magical skills. Do you know what fairies are?"

"No. I've never heard of them."

"Perhaps not, but you have met them. The girls who came with Tegryn when he visited here last weekend are all fairies, except for Mirta here."

"But, they looked so ordinary - well, nothing special anyway. What IS a fairy anyway?"

"You'll see soon enough. Now then, yesterday the school was attacked by a group of witches."

"Witches?" Pui Yin gasped. _'I knew it - they're all involved in witchcraft! So perhaps Musa DID use magic on Tegryn to get him to love her... but why would witches attack other witches?'_ She was getting more and more confused by the second.

Jun's eyes widened. "The Coven?"

"No, it was actually their descendants... but how did you know about THEM?"

"It's a long story. Please... carry on."

"Well, most of the school was placed under a sleeping spell. Everybody was affected except for Mirta, Tegryn, and one other student who wasn't on campus at the time. They fought very bravely and eventually managed to win, but both Tegryn and Musa were badly hurt."

"Oh dear. How are they?"

"Oh, they'll live. Tegryn's very weak due to the effects of a spell that was used on him, and Musa has a couple of broken bones. I came here today to tell you this, and also to invite you to come and visit them."

"Yes, I'd very much like to see them both, and to see my Tegryn's new home." said Jun. "Is it far?"

Faragonda chuckled. "Not at all."

"But Ms Faragonda - how will they get into Alfea?" Mirta asked. "None of them know magic."

"Not to worry, I'd already planned for this." she said, holding out her hand. Three small glowing balls shot out of it and into Jun, Mei and Pui Yin, who seemed particularly frightened.

"What are you doing!" Pui Yin cried, unable to understand why this old lady would be attacking her.

"Perhaps I should explain - our school is protected by a barrier which prevent non-magical beings from entering. All I have done is give you each a tiny spark of magic to enable you to enter - it's a visitor's pass, so to speak. Don't worry, it isn't permanent, it'll wear off as soon as you come back to Earth. Now, if you're all ready, let us get going."

Faragonda waved her hand and a portal suddenly appeared. Pui Yin let out a tiny scream.

"Don't worry dear, it's perfectly harmless. Just follow me."

Pui Yin gulped as she stepped nervously into the portal. So this was it. She was about to see where her lover was now living, and where these witches come from - talk about walking straight into the lion's den! It'll be dangerous, but it'll be worth it.


	35. The Visitors

Faragonda and Mirta stepped out of the portal, closely followed by Jun, Mei and Pui Yin. The three visitors gasped in awe at their destination - the magnificent castle of Alfea stood proudly before them, looking even more beautiful than the stunning forest that surrounded it. 

"Well I never," Jun chuckled. "My grandson has really done well for himself here!"

"Yes, it is beautiful, isn't it? It's a perfect environment for learning." Faragonda replied. "Well, it is when dark forces aren't trying to destroy it. Please, follow me." she said as she led them through the gates. Jun looked around, half-horrifed and half-intrigued by the massive damage that she was now looking at.

"Oh my - it looks like someone was fighting a war here! Tell me, would this be the 'incident' that you spoke of?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"So, all these craters and trenches, they were all done by the witches that attacked? They have some serious power - it looks like my grandson and hopefully-future-granddaughter-in-law were lucky to get out alive!"

Mirta giggled as she pointed at the largest crater in the centre. "Actually, that one was me. Well, me and the Spirit Rod."

"Amazing. And what about that?" Jun said as she pointed at a large furrow running into a wall covered in cracks and scorch marks. "Was that you as well?"

"No, that was Teggy! His Rage Blast attack is so awesome!"

"Never!" Mei gasped, her eyes in amazement. "My brother did THAT!"

Pui Yin sighed - her Tegryn was even more remarkable than she thought. Then she shuddered as she cast her mind back to their tournament matchup - what was it Musa yelled to him during the fight? "Go on Teggy, give her a Rage Blast?".

That horrible girlfriend of his wanted him to do THAT to her... and yet, he didn't. That thought made her so happy - _'Deep down, he must have some feelings left for me. His love for me hasn't been driven out of him fully. There's still hope!'_

"Yes, he is quite powerful." Faragonda said. "He has great potential, but he really needs to learn self-discipline. He's rather prone to, ahem, losing control, as you can quite plainly see."

"Yep, it's going to take a long time to fix all that!" a deep voice boomed behind them. Mei and Pui Yin gulped as a large shadow fell over them. Slowly, they turned around, to be confronted by a giant figure staring down at them through his small, pink eyes. The two girls shrieked and hid behind Ms Faragonda.

"Oh dear, am I all stinky again?" said Knut, sniffing under his armpits.

Faragonda laughed. "Not at all Mr Knut! I get the feeling these two have never met an ogre before!"

Jun stepped up and looked into Knut's eyes, and smiled. "Ah yes, I can see you're quite the friendly fellow."

"Yes, indeed he is." Faragonda laughed. "And very well appreciated he is too!"

"Aww thanks!" said Knut, putting one hand behind his head in an embarrassed fashion. "Say Hi to Musa and Teggy for me!"

As they walked into the school building, they were greeted by the Winx and Starz girls, who were also on their way to the infirmary to pay a quick visit to their friends before lessons started. They were all carrying get-well cards and presents, as any good person would do for their ill friends.

"Mei!" Tecna shouted excitedly as they ran up to them. "It's so good to see you! How are you? What are you doing here?"

"I invited them." Faragonda said. "After what happened yesterday, I felt it was only right that they should be able to visit."

"Oh, you're here to see Teggy and Musa. Good!"

"Yes, how are they? Are they hurt badly?"

"Oh, they'll be fine. Musa's in quite bad shape, and Tegryn's not his usual energetic self, but they're being well looked after."

Everyone was so glad to see their friends again, but Anyuna was less than happy. "What's SHE doing here?" she scowled as she pointed at Pui Yin.

"I'm here to see Tegryn." she replied testily.

"And what makes you think Tegryn wants to see you after what you did? He hates you."

"Actually, Tegryn still wants to be friends with me." she said sniffily, sticking out her tongue. "So there!"

"Ms Faragonda, how can you let her in here?" Anyuna protested. "She's only here to cause trouble. Don't you know what she did? Because of her, we almost lost Tegryn."

"Yes Anyuna, I'm perfectly aware of what happened."

"But Ms Faragonda...!"

"That's enough Anyuna! This is neither the time nor the place for this discussion. Pui Yin is our guest, just like Mei and Jun, and I will not have any of you making her feel unwelcome, regardless of what she may or may not have done. She has given me her word that she will be on her best behaviour, and I have no reason to doubt it. Now come, let us go to the infirmary in an orderly manner, shall we?"

As the group made their way, Anyuna whispered to Pui Yin, "I'm keeping my eye on you. If you even think about trying anything with Teggy..."

Pui Yin said nothing, but just stuck her nose up in the air with an indignant "Hmmph!"


	36. Oh Baby Baby!

They soon arrived at the infirmary, and quietly made their way into the room where Musa and Tegryn were staying. Musa was still as she was the previous night, sleeping and comfortable. Tegryn was also fast asleep, snuggled up with Polli who he cradled affectionately in his arms. 

"Oh, that is SO sweet!" said Mei as she looked upon this rather cute scene. Even Pui Yin was impressed, seeing Tegryn together with this little baby, looking so gentle, so comforting, so loving. She smiled - how she wished she could take that baby's place beside him.

Her train of thought was broken by a rather well-mannered voice.

"Tegryn. Tegryn, wake up." Tune said as she hopped over from Musa's bed to his. "We have guests, and it simply won't do for you to be asleep right now."

Pui Yin looked on confused. Another baby? Surely not. Sure, she looked small and cute enough, but she'd never heard a baby speak this well. Then again, perhaps fairy babies do. And unlike Polli, this one looked nothing like Tegryn, what with her lilac-coloured hair and all. And just what was Tegryn doing with a baby anyway? Surely he's not a father, and surely Musa's too young to be a...

Pui Yin shuddered - that thought made her feel rather uneasy, not to mention sad. How could she get Tegryn to leave Musa if he has fatherly responsibilities? Oh, her poor, kind-hearted Tegryn... and his poor baby too.

Pui Yin put her hand on her chest to try and calm herself down a bit, and touched the locket she wore around her neck. She smiled - this was a present from Tegryn, a beautiful gold locket set with dark green jade, and she loved touching and feeling it, just as she loved touching Tegryn. Inside, there was a photo of her beloved fiancé (well, fiancé in her mind anyway) and a lock of his hair which he had given to her all those years ago so that she would never forget him.

Meanwhile, Tegryn and Polli were slowly waking up, thanks to Tune's gentle, polite prodding.

"What is it?" he said groggily.

"We have visitors."

Polli looked up, then started whispering into his ear.

"Two girls and an old woman? Here to see me?"

He rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up. His face was soon brightened when he recognised who these guests were.

"Sister!" he said with a weary grin on his face as he gently hugged Mei. "Grandmother! And... Pui Yin?" He looked awkardly at his ex, who just one week earlier was trying to batter him into giving up his darling Musa. She just stood there, looking down slightly, giving him a nervous little smile.

"Does this mean Mei had that chat with you, about us?"

She nodded. "I realise you love Musa. It's difficult for me to understand, but... well, you love Musa."

She sighed - saying that was difficult, but at least she had the satisfaction of knowing that despite her feelings, she hadn't lied to him - she could never do that to him, no matter what the cause. It was lucky for her she didn't - of course, she had no way of knowing about Polli's knack for spotting lies. If Pui Yin had lied to him, perhaps by saying that she no longer loved him, Tegryn would've known the truth instantly and her cover would've been blown wide open.

Tegryn smiled. "Thank you for understanding. I know how tough this must've been for you. I know I've apologised before, but I'll do it again - I'm sorry for hurting you. It means a lot to me that we're still friends. We ARE still friends, right?"

Pui Yin said nothing, but walked forward and hugged Tegryn.

"Thank you," he whispered as he hugged her gently, patting her back reassuringly.

Everyone in the room smiled as that heart-warming sight, but in the background Anyuna was fuming - how dare she hug Tegryn like that? How dare she try and weasle her way back into his good books. It's so obvious she's up to something, but why can't anyone else see what she's doing? Was she really the only one who could see this charade for what it really was?

"So Teggy, how are you feeling today?" asked Bloom.

Tegryn let out a huge sigh. "I'm feeling a tiny bit stronger today, not so light-headed. I'm still as weak as a kitten though."

Jun laid her hand on his lap. "So what happened to make you feel so weak?"

"I got hit by some rather nasty magic, it totally drained all the energy out of my body. Layla knows how I'm feeling, she got hit by it too, but not as bad."

"Yeah, that's true. I still feel a bit drained though. Ofelia says I have to come back here later for a check-up." Layla said. "Here Teggy - maybe this'll get your energy levels up a bit!" she said grinning as she handed him a giant bar of chocolate. Tegryn's eyes lit up, as did Polli's despite the fact that this bar of chocolate was taller than she was. "Thanks Layla!" he said as they happily tucked in.

"Don't eat all that at once Teggy - you haven't even had breakfast yet!" Everyone in the room laughed... but not too loudly, as they didn't want to wake Musa up.

They chatted happily and gave Tegryn their get-well cards and presents for him and Musa, but all too soon the time for them to leave was upon them. As the fairies left the room leaving Tegryn alone with his family, Anyuna glared across at Pui Yin, giving her a look that said 'I'm watching you'. Pui Yin smiled and waved back cheekily.

_'That silly girl can give me all the dirty looks she wants"/i she thought to herself. i"Tegryn may love Musa right now, but one way or another, he will be back home loving me as my husband! All I need now is a plan...'_


	37. The Sleeping Beauty Awakens

A few hours later Musa was on a journey of her own, and all without leaving her bed where she still slept soundly. She was in a field on the edge of a forest, bathed in the glorious late spring sunshine. There was barely a cloud in the sky, save for a few small clouds dotted here and there. The air was filled with the joyous song of birdsongs, and the scenery livened up by the occasional brightly-coloured butterfly flitting in between the many vivid flowers which blanketed the ground. 

Musa smiled and took a deep breath - the air smelt so fragrant and the atmosphere was so peaceful - man, it felt good to be alive. But there was something missing, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Musa..." a faint voice called out, wafting over the breeze.

Musa looked around, but she could see no-one.

"Hello?"

"Musa..."

"Where are you?"

"I'm all around you, and I'm within you."

"Eh? What are you talking about? Who are you anyway?"

"Who am I? I'm a part of you."

Musa groaned. "Quit talking in riddles and show yourself already!"

All of a sudden, a bright flash of sunlight appeared in front of her. Musa raised her forearm above her eyes to try and take out some of the glare. Gradually, the dazzling light faded and she could make out a figure walking towards her - a beautiful young woman with jet black hair wearing a long flowing dress.

"Honestly Musa, your father brought you up better than that. Is that really any way to speak to your mother?"

"Mom!" Musa gasped. "Is that really you?"

Musa's eyes brightened - sure enough, it was indeed her mother, identical to her in almost every way.

"It IS you!" Musa cried as she ran forward and gave her beloved mother fifteen years worth of hugs and kisses. "It really is you!"

* * *

Back in the hospital room, Tegryn had decided to get out of bed, despite Ofelia's telling him not to. His spirits were high after that surprise visit by Jun, Mei and Pui Yin, who had since gone back home, and now he sat next to his darling, tenderly holding her hand in his own. As always, he was accompanied by Polli, and Tune who was also keeping a vigil. 

"Aww babe, it's a pity you're still sleeping. You just missed Mei and my Grandmother, and we have a whole load of cards and presents too! Now that'll cheer you up!"

"Yes, and she missed that Pui Yin too." Tune added. "I do find that girl rather odd though. After the inappropriate way she acted last week, it does seem rather strange that she should suddenly turn around and accept you being with Musa now."

"Yeah... I guess Mei did a good job of persuading her."

"Maybe, but still, I don't trust her."

"Neither do I, not 100... but I do trust my sister."

Tegryn looked down at Musa's face. The cuts and bruises she had received were dying down quite nicely - she looked so lovely and peaceful laying there, but he was still eager for her to wake up. Being the smart and intuitive little pixie that she is, Tune sensed this.

"You know what I think she'd appreciate? A little song."

"I never knew you could sing."

"Not me, you. Sing her a song."

"Me? Sing? I don't know - I mean, I love listening to music with her, but I'm no singer."

"Go on, I'm sure she'd like it."

"Oh, alright then." He racked his brains for a couple of seconds as he tried to think of something suitable, and one that he actually knew the words to. "Ah yes, maybe this one will do!"

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine  
You make me happy when skies are grey  
You'll never know dear, how much I love you  
So don't take my sunshine away..._

He was interrupted by a man's voice behind him.

"You serenade my daughter just like I used to serenade her mother, although I must say I had slightly more rhythm."

Tegryn turned and looked, and smiled as he correctly guessed who had just addressed him.

"You must be Musa's father." he said as he stood up shakily and shook his hand.

"And you must be Tegryn. My little girl's told me all about you. How are you feeling?"

"I'd feel an awful lot better if Musa wasn't hurt like this. I should've stopped this from happening, but I just wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry."

Musa's father shook his head. "Ms Faragonda has filled me in on everything that happened - that was some pretty powerful stuff you were up against. You're not to blame for Musa's condition - after all, you're not the one who did this to Musa."

"No... but at least I got the satisfaction of knocking that creep's teeth out before he took me out."

Tune gasped at this. "Tegryn! That's not very civilised at all, now is it?"

Tegryn and Musa's father laughed at this comedy outburst, as they each held one of Musa's hands...

* * *

...and just as Tegryn was bonding with her father, Musa was also having some quality time with her mother, chatting happily as they sat next to a cheerfully babbling stream that ran through the luscious dreamscape that had been created in her mind. 

"Mom? Is it true Teggy tried to kiss you?"

Her mother giggled and blushed slightly. "Yes, but only because he thought I was you. I must say, that's one cool guy you've bagged yourself there. Heh... if I wasn't married to your father..."

"Mom! Don't even go there!"

They hugged each other, giggling like a couple of young schoolgirls. Eventually, Musa's mother pulled away and said "It's time for me to go now."

"But Mom! Please, I want to stay with you longer!"

"No dearest, it's time for you to go back. Don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to spend together, but not now - now isn't your time. There are people waiting for you, people who love you very much indeed. Can't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"Look at your hands."

Musa looked at her hands - they certainly didn't look any different, but they felt... warm, as though they were being touched. No, it wasn't just warmth... there was something else... love. Something, or someone, was giving a whole lot of love to her, and it made her feel good.

Musa smiled as she gave her mother one last goodbye cuddle. "I understand. Thank you Mom, you don't know how much this means to me..."

"Goodbye my dear, and remember what I said earlier - I'm a part of you. Remember that, always..."

And with that, she was gone. Musa looked around her. The whole landscape was slowly fading into a white blur, and her hands felt warmer than ever. As she gradually roused herself, she could hear a familiar voice to her right... "Hey, I think she's waking up... Musie? Musie, can you hear me?"

"Teggy?" she said, blinking, trying desperately to get her beloved into focus until finally his beaming smile and those deep blue eyes of his became clear. "Teggy! You're okay!" she screamed as she hugged him as hard as she could, doing her best to ignore her aching body.

Tegryn embraced her gently. "Easy now baby, save your strength. I'm not the only here who loves you, you know."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Take a look." he replied, nodding his head towards her father. She looked over, and gasped in delight.

"Pop! Wow, this is so cool!" she said half-asleepily as she hugged him. "First I had the most wonderful dream, and then I wake up to my two favourite guys!"


	38. Happy Endings For Everyone?

Despite all the aches and pains and broken bones, Musa was happier than she had been for quite a while. She sat up in her bed, rather uncomfortably of course, opening all the cards and presents given to her by her dearest friends, eating whatever chocolate hadn't already been scoffed by Tegryn and Polli, and chatting almost non-stop with her father, catching up on all the news and gossip from back home. All of a sudden, Layla poked her head around the door, grinning from ear to ear as she saw Musa. 

"MUSA!" she screamed, running up and giving her a huge hug. "I thought I could hear your voice. It's so good to see you up at last! So how are you?"

"Well, my leg's kïlling me and Teggy's eating all my sweets, but apart from that I'm cool. So what are you doing here? Why aren't you in lessons?"

"Tsch!" Tegryn tutted jokingly. "She's bunking off again - naughty Layla!"

"Oh stop it!" she replied, playfully jabbing him in the arm. "You know I'm here for a quick check-up. It's alright Musa, it's nothing major - but Ofelia insisted I have a regular check up, that's all."

"Why?"

"'Cos I got hit by the Soul Drain spell, just like Teggy."

"Oh yes, he told us about that... man, that sounded horrible. Well, you'd better not keep Ofelia waiting!"

"Yep, see you guys later!"

They waved Layla off as she walked into Ofelia's office.

Tegryn chuckled quietly to himself.

"What's so funny?" asked Musa.

"It's just occured to me - this is pretty much how we first met, isn't it? One of us waking up to see the other one by their side, holding their hand. It's the same bed and everything, except it's you lying in it, not me."

Musa giggled. "You're right! We gotta stop meeting like this!"

"So Musa," her father said as he turned to her. "What was this dream you were having just now?"

"My dream? Oh yes, my dream! I dreamt... I dreamt of Mom."

"Your mother? Oh. So what happened?"

"Nothing much, we just chatted for what seemed like ages. Oh, it was wonderful. She told about how much she loves you, and about how she approves of Tegryn." she said, looking at her boyfriend with a cheeky glint in her eye. "She reminded me just how lucky I am to have the two of you loving me. She also reminded me that no matter where I am, she'll always be with me. It's funny - I've always missed her so much and I still do, but at the same time now... I don't."

Musa's father smiled softly as he tenderly wiped a tear from her eye. "I often feel that way too - even though she's gone, I still sometimes feel like she's close to me. She was a wonderful woman, your mother - a wonderful woman."

The room fell silent as the three of them contemplated what had just been said.

"Hey, is everything all right?" said Layla as she re-entered the room.

"Hmm? Oh yes, we're cool." Musa replied. "So - how did it go?"

"Yep, everything's fine. Well, I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"What, aren't you staying?"

"No, I've gotta rush. I don't wanna be TOO late for my next lesson!" Layla said as she walked quickly out of the door. "Laters!"

But as she was busy waving to her friends, she hit something solid and was soon knocked off her feet, falling on her behind with a bump.

"Oh Layla, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" a male voice said. "Here, take my hand"

Tegryn leant over, trying hard to see who it was.

Layla took the stranger's hand and pulled herself up. "I'm so sorry," she said sheepishly. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

Then she looked up to see just who it was she had bumped into - her face soon brightened as she saw just who it was.

"Jason!" she exclaimed happily as she gazed into his kind dark eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard what happened, and I just had to see you if you were okay. Here, I got you these." he said, pulling a bunch of roses from behind his back. Layla smiled shyly as she smelled the bouquet - their sweet smell was simply heavenly.

"Thank you," she said, blushing. "I'm afraid I can't stop, I have to go to lessons."

"That's okay, I'll walk you there." he said, holding out his arm. "Shall we?"

Layla didn't hesitate, and entwined her arm around his as they sauntered down the corridor. Back in the room, Musa and Tegryn sighed.

"Aww, it's so good to see Layla happy again."

"Yeah." Tegryn replied. "She so deserves it."

As they walked to the classroom, Layla couldn't help but feel happy - it was as though an orchestra was playing the most beautiful and romantic symphony in her head. But then, that symphony stopped with a deafening screech. A thought had suddenly shot into Layla's head, and not a pleasant one neither. The accidental bumping, the flowers, the sheer happiness... this was exactly what happened when she met Kaiser. Oh no, not again! Surely Jason wouldn't hurt her like that creep did, could he? She needed some reassurance, and quick.

"Jason, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Fire away."

"I know this'll sound silly but... do you have any sisters?"

"Sisters? No, not at all. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing." she sighed as she held him even closer. That was just what she wanted to hear... the evil Kaiser was defeated, the school and everyone in it were all okay, Musa and Tegryn were recovering well, and now this - this story's happy ending was complete...

...well, Anyuna's heart was still torn in two, but that's another story.

THE END

-------------------------------------------

**PS: if you're wondering who this Jason guy is, check out Layla's blog on 4kids.tv/fairieslayla.php.**


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